shaking and earthquaking

so, unless you have been living under a rock for the last week you know that the world is kind of falling in and on and apart in japan right now.  north eastern japan to be specific.  there was the huge earthquake followed by the huge tsunami.  in the days that follwed there were hundreds of smaller earthquakes that shook the already unsteady ground up north and further destroyed things that were already unstable.  avalanches, roads crumbling, houses/businesses/huge buildings falling prey to the earth shaking and enormous walls of water pounding against them, not to mention the nuclear reactors which are inducing fear here and abroad right now.  i have seen more death and destruction here in the last few days than ever in my whole life.  luckily, i have not had to witness one moment of it for real and have gotten all of my images via internet and tv news. 

for those of you who check this still, if there are any, know that i am safe and seriously out of harms way as i sit here writing this.  we have felt no earth shaking or had any destruction visit us here in nagasaki ken.  i feel both lucky and overwhelmingly grateful to be where i am.  i could have easily gotten another placement in this country and been up north where people who have my same position are still missing and unaccounted for. 

i have a new found respect for life and this earth we tread so heavily on since the events of last friday here.  life can change in an instant and when you come so close this sort of complete destruction happening all around you it makes one really step back and look at life again.  how precious and even fleeting it can be.  it gives one great inspiration to really live in the now and make sure you are loving, giving and sharing as one should.  it has me doing a lot of celebrating life this week and i want to make sure that all of you who do keep up with me here know how much i do love you.  you all are what has held me together here in moments that are strained here, you all are the people who make being alive today so wonderful for me.

please keep the people of japan in your thoughts and prayers.  they will need your continued love and support to make it through this trying time.  rebuilding efforts after devestation this extensive will go on for years to come and support through love and prayer will be needed throughout.

to those who are worried about me here, let me reassure you again that i am safe.  if you need to check, look at a map of japan and look for hokaido, that is where the action was, then look for nagasaki, and then look to the left a bit off the coast and find the small chain of islands there and that is where i am, the goto islands.  pretty much the safest place one could have possibly been when this happened.  know also that should something change in the situation here that my job is not worth risking my life for and if i am in danger i will get somewhere safe before i am in an emergency situation.

okay, that is all for me for now.  i have some beautiful weather outside to attend to and some living and loving to do. 

sending huge, warm hugs to all of you today.  love love love you each.

xoxoxo
beth