Flying Barn--Flying Emotions

The last thing I did before I left my family’s house to come to the Peace Corps was say a prayer to God that it would be kept safe for the next two years that I would be away. Tonight I found out that God remembered my prayer. I got a call from home this evening with word that the old white barn that sat 100 yards from our house had been lifted and placed in the middle of our quiet country road. Thunderstorms had come rolling across the fields behind our house and dropped a tornado just feet from our home. What is even scarier is that our neighbor’s house lies even closer to the barn, sitting just 50 yards or so from its foundation. I received word that my family and our neighbors were safe and that neither of the houses had been damaged. A barn that had been there for probably over 100 years was gone in an instant.

So this is a blog dedicated to my time in Samoa, which may have you wondering why I’m giving the news headline from back home. What tonight has reminded me about though, is that my distance from home can at times cause great anxiety. I’ve been reminded I’m not there, I’m here, in the South Pacific, talking on a telephone which at times doesn’t seem to do justice. Tonight has reminded me that life keeps happening, no matter where I live. There are millions of gallons of oil floating in the Gulf of Mexico, wars being fought in the Middle East and people going hungry in Mumbai. I’m not sure why some of us undergo devastation and others are more fortunate. All I can say is that I’m happy my home, family and neighbors are safe tonight. For those who haven’t been as fortunate in the world this evening, my prayers are with you.