Several years ago my dear friend and I took an Anne and Diana pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island, Canada. For those who are uninitiated, PEI is the home of Anne of Green Gables and her best friend Diana, characters from a beloved series of books and a popular television miniseries. As my friend and I were the epitome of Anne and Diana it was an important pilgrimage indeed. It was an incredible trip including much of New England and parts of Canada. Okay, there was the driving into the ocean incident, the rescue by the RCMP when I locked the keys in a running vehicle, the driving the wrong way on the freeway situation, the fermented apple cider episode, and the big rig that hit us in Boston, and even more adventures, but that vacation was a highlight of my young adult years. I fell in love with the landscape, and even more importantly the people, of that beautiful red dirt island. It is an exquisite place and I’ve been yearning to return.
Yesterday I watched the destruction waged by a hurricane with a sweet sounding name, Fiona. Fiona hit PEI with a fierce blow, becoming the most intense storm ever recorded in Canada. On this small island off the northeast coast of Canada homes were destroyed, all but five percent lost all power, centuries-old trees were uprooted, and lives were forever changed. Across the Gulf of Lawrence, in the community of Port-aux-Basque homes were literally swept out to sea – one with an elderly woman still inside. I saw an interview with a man who said that he and his wife owned two apartment complexes that they rented out for tourists. One of the buildings tipped over onto its side, while the other drifted away. His livelihood, he said, was completely destroyed.
Before Fiona ever hit Canada it landed on Puerto Rico – that impoverished territory that is still fighting to recover from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. The damage caused by Fiona is more than I can comprehend; the pictures aren’t able to fully capture the horror that I’ve heard described.
As I’ve watched these scenes of devastation, all while recognizing that Hurricane Ian will be landing near a loved one’s home later this week, I started thinking about what matters in life.
I love my house. I absolutely love it. I love my books and my furnishings and my holiday tableware and my décor and so much more. I would be devastated if it was destroyed. I love my fun jewelry and scarves and other accessories. I love all my many stuffed animals. I love all my gazillion clocks. In case of emergency, however, most of that would be left behind. I would absolutely grab the fireproof boxes containing important papers, backups of photo albums and family videos, and a few other precious things. If I had enough time I’d grab family history artifacts. The trunks of memorabilia would be too heavy for me to carry, so they’d get left, unfortunately. I’d grab clothes and maybe some of my jewelry. But overall the things of my life would be left behind.
I’ve discovered over time the secret that things are just, well, things. They don’t actually matter in the long run. Example: Several years ago we had a leak in our garage that we weren’t aware of for many months. During that time water seeped into my Thanksgiving décor boxes destroying several sets of pilgrim ornaments that I’d collected over the years. Not all were destroyed, just most of them. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and losing the symbol of that day was upsetting, to say the least. The time and money I’d spent over twenty-plus years of careful collecting was wiped out in this stupid leak and I was not happy a bit. When the next autumn came and I went to set out my decorations I had to make quite a few adjustments, but you know, it was fine. I thought about the joy I’d had collecting those ornaments, but in the end it really didn’t matter that I didn’t have them any longer. I had memories, and that was good enough (Luckily my very favorite sets survived).
What matters most, I have discovered, is our relationships with others – and that can’t be taken away from us. If I had a disaster I’d be most concerned about first saving anyone in my house and rescuing my dogs. If something happened to them I would be devastated, but not without hope, for I would have my faith to buoy me up and keep me going with the knowledge of the sweet relationship we had had. Working to have no regrets is something I think is vital in surviving the worst times, and keeping relationships intact as much as possible can help get us through any trial.
Another thing that can never be destroyed by external forces is our faith. Faith carries us through the hardest times, and seeking guidance from God with full faith can help us find the direction we need to go when facing hardships beyond anything we ever imagined.
There is no getting around the reality that really bad things happen to very good people. The innocent often get swept up in natural disasters or political machinations for which they have no control. Life can truly stink at times. There are always ways, though, by exercising faith that we can find a way forward.
I have a friend whose daughter was murdered quite a few years ago. I watched him find cathartic relief in fighting for strengthening laws that would allow stronger penalties in future cases. I’ve seen victims of abuse face their abusers in court and help ensure those individuals couldn’t harm other people. Joe Walsh began his America’s Most Wanted program as a response to his child’s death – and many people were brought to justice because of it. Families who had everything wiped away in a disaster have fought for better building codes or insurance mechanisms.
When we are led by the faith that God will provide a way out of the darkness, and then follow the inspiration we receive in those circumstances, we can find healing. Reaching out to those around us and clinging to our relationships can be a blessing and a joy. Fighting to make things better for the future, even if it doesn’t fix our own situation, helps us find purpose in our suffering. Extended anger and bitterness won’t help us, but instead, looking forward with trust that God will make all things right can give us strength to carry on in the midst of the storm.
Look to God and Live... Joyfully! 