March 13, 2011-A Day of Rest...

    This Sunday was a day of rest for me.  Sunday school was cancelled because some unfortunate travelers going to Majuro on the plane that left the night of the Tsunami warning were stranded here for the weekend and were staying in the religious education building where classes are held on Sunday mornings.  The plane usually stops in the capital of the Marshall Islands on the way to Hawaii, but due to the bad weather and delayed take off time, the airline decided to go straight to Hawaii and not stop in Majuro, which means the passengers have to wait until the next plane headed that way comes through, which is not until this Monday night.  So, after sleeping in a bit and not having to prepare my lesson for the morning and take off to church before I've had a chance to consume a proper breakfast (which is usually how the morning goes for me), we had a late breakfast, then spent the rest of the day attending my son's dress rehearsal for the dance recital next weekend (he's in a  hip hop class this year), planning a menu for the remainder of the weekend, and going to the grocery store to pick up the last odds and ends for a barbecue chicken recipe for dinner.  It was a lazy day, but thankfully a good one.
     Of course, the other main event has been watching the news from Japan. It seems so far away from us, but my heart goes out to them.  It's so hard to understand what it must be like for the country right now, and it is anything but a day of rest for those who are searching for missing relatives and trying to rebuild their lives right now.  Besides for contributing monetarily to the organizations helping the people of Japan, all I know to do is pray for them.  It's hard for me to not be able to actively contribute and help because as a mother and teacher trainer, I'm used to jumping up and helping direct a class, handle a conflict, or help my children fix something that has broken or prepare a bag of ice for a bumped head, but this is so much more than my everyday small, small traumas, and my children are here; my purpose right now is here, and my livelihood is here.  So, I come back to the conclusion that praying for them and believing in the ability God has given us to rise above life's tragedies, to pull strength from places inside us that we never knew we had will get the Japanese people through, will help them rebuild and move forward.  For that reason, I will enjoy these days of peace and rest for me and my family as life's challenges can hit with hardly a moment's notice, so I'll spend my time building up that inner strength to assist myself, my family, and others around me, preparing for when life throws the next punch that will surely come, but hopefully not too soon...