STARTING AGAIN
I once read that at
any given time, there is a fire somewhere on the planet. If you look at
the Earth from a satellite, you will always find some part of the
planet burning.
Overnight, more than forty people lost their homes to fires on the outskirts of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. And of course, two years ago, at around this time, a hundred and seventy three people lost their lives in bushfires in Victoria. Another four hundred were injured. And complete towns were burnt down, leaving nothing but cinders.
Those huge fires two years ago ripped through Victoria only two days before I was moving interstate. As a result, I came to see the decimation of the landscape as I drove through barren country of burnt earth. Sheets of tin lay on the blackened ground. That was all that remained from some homes.
At the time of those fires, North Queensland was suffering from major flooding. There was too much water in the North, and not enough in the South.
Natural disasters, as we call them, are actually a part of the Earth's life and evolution. And if we are to live on this planet, we will always be reminded that at the end of the day, it is the Earth that decides, not us.
Recently Australia has had its share of such extreme weather. Flash flooding in towns of reasonable altitude killed people, as the walls of their homes suddenly gave way to the torrents passing through. Our third largest city became a ghost town, almost apocalyptic, as floods rushed on through, not even noticing the man made structures in its path, simply picking them up and taking them along. Many people are now homeless as a result.
Then last week, the largest cyclone in Australia's recorded history arrived on the shores of North Queensland, decimating country towns, vast agricultural land and food supplies, and to my own personal sadness, a beautiful island that I once called home for a couple of years. I think of people who have called the island home for more than two decades now. They lived on the island, working for the resort that is no longer there. In time, the resort and staff accommodation will be rebuilt. In the meantime though, my friends have not only lost their employment, but their homes too.
This is often the case with natural disasters. Fires everywhere, including South Australia and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales have in the past taken plenty of homes and businesses in their wake. The same goes with recent floods also in Victoria and Tasmania. And of course we see this all over the world all of the time on international news stories: floods and earthquakes in Asia, fires in America, floods and extreme cold in Europe. And on it goes. And it always will. People everywhere are subjected to the forces of nature.
So what do people after times like these?
They learn to receive. And they learn to start again.
Sometimes it is not natural disasters, but broken relationships, loss of a loved one in death, or numerous other challenges that life can send us. Either way, at some time in most of our lives, we all learn to start again to some capacity.
Some years back, after bushfires threatened towns on the outskirts of Sydney, my cousins and I went walking through the barren land. We were on our way to a waterhole for a swim. Every tree was charcoal. The earth was burnt and barren. Rocks once hidden by vegetation were fully exposed.
But what struck me most were the shoots of new life coming out of the trees and from the ground. Nature carries on after the setbacks. It creates anew. And as we are a part of this biological cycle, we too have the choice to start again, to renew, to carry on.
So whether it is natural disasters, heartache, job loss, health challenges, or any other number of things that life can throw our way, we still have the choice to either give up or to start again.
Returning to the area near the waterhole quite recently, all I saw was healthy growth, a perfect picture of something that had survived the worst of it and come back even stronger.
After record-breaking heatwaves ending here yesterday, a cool and rainy morning has welcomed us, offering a fresh start. Yet every single day gives us all an opportunity to start again, to commence brand new, to begin once more.
Huge snowfalls are causing havoc in other parts of the world. Fires are burning, winds are blowing, landslides are happening, and all sorts of things are bringing unexpected change to plenty of our fellow humans.
So please send a prayer out to all of those who have been forced to start again. And if you are one of those people, know that others are sending their prayers to you.
It may take strength. It may take tears and frustration. But it may also bring fortitude and beauty you never knew you had inside of you.
It is a new day. It is time to start again.
Overnight, more than forty people lost their homes to fires on the outskirts of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. And of course, two years ago, at around this time, a hundred and seventy three people lost their lives in bushfires in Victoria. Another four hundred were injured. And complete towns were burnt down, leaving nothing but cinders.
Those huge fires two years ago ripped through Victoria only two days before I was moving interstate. As a result, I came to see the decimation of the landscape as I drove through barren country of burnt earth. Sheets of tin lay on the blackened ground. That was all that remained from some homes.
At the time of those fires, North Queensland was suffering from major flooding. There was too much water in the North, and not enough in the South.
Natural disasters, as we call them, are actually a part of the Earth's life and evolution. And if we are to live on this planet, we will always be reminded that at the end of the day, it is the Earth that decides, not us.
Recently Australia has had its share of such extreme weather. Flash flooding in towns of reasonable altitude killed people, as the walls of their homes suddenly gave way to the torrents passing through. Our third largest city became a ghost town, almost apocalyptic, as floods rushed on through, not even noticing the man made structures in its path, simply picking them up and taking them along. Many people are now homeless as a result.
Then last week, the largest cyclone in Australia's recorded history arrived on the shores of North Queensland, decimating country towns, vast agricultural land and food supplies, and to my own personal sadness, a beautiful island that I once called home for a couple of years. I think of people who have called the island home for more than two decades now. They lived on the island, working for the resort that is no longer there. In time, the resort and staff accommodation will be rebuilt. In the meantime though, my friends have not only lost their employment, but their homes too.
This is often the case with natural disasters. Fires everywhere, including South Australia and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales have in the past taken plenty of homes and businesses in their wake. The same goes with recent floods also in Victoria and Tasmania. And of course we see this all over the world all of the time on international news stories: floods and earthquakes in Asia, fires in America, floods and extreme cold in Europe. And on it goes. And it always will. People everywhere are subjected to the forces of nature.
So what do people after times like these?
They learn to receive. And they learn to start again.
Sometimes it is not natural disasters, but broken relationships, loss of a loved one in death, or numerous other challenges that life can send us. Either way, at some time in most of our lives, we all learn to start again to some capacity.
Some years back, after bushfires threatened towns on the outskirts of Sydney, my cousins and I went walking through the barren land. We were on our way to a waterhole for a swim. Every tree was charcoal. The earth was burnt and barren. Rocks once hidden by vegetation were fully exposed.
But what struck me most were the shoots of new life coming out of the trees and from the ground. Nature carries on after the setbacks. It creates anew. And as we are a part of this biological cycle, we too have the choice to start again, to renew, to carry on.
So whether it is natural disasters, heartache, job loss, health challenges, or any other number of things that life can throw our way, we still have the choice to either give up or to start again.
Returning to the area near the waterhole quite recently, all I saw was healthy growth, a perfect picture of something that had survived the worst of it and come back even stronger.
After record-breaking heatwaves ending here yesterday, a cool and rainy morning has welcomed us, offering a fresh start. Yet every single day gives us all an opportunity to start again, to commence brand new, to begin once more.
Huge snowfalls are causing havoc in other parts of the world. Fires are burning, winds are blowing, landslides are happening, and all sorts of things are bringing unexpected change to plenty of our fellow humans.
So please send a prayer out to all of those who have been forced to start again. And if you are one of those people, know that others are sending their prayers to you.
It may take strength. It may take tears and frustration. But it may also bring fortitude and beauty you never knew you had inside of you.
It is a new day. It is time to start again.
