"...we part with tender relations stretching far behind us, that never can be exactly renewed..."
Scot,
That is os heartfelt and so calmly reassuring. The sense you give and let the reader take away that you are there where you belong and they might also be. Your voice is calm, warm, supportive.
You do such lovely honor to my sister-in law's piece I'm going to e-mail this both to her and to her son.
Thank you, again for your writing. It is an honor to be in your audience.
Nice piece. The excerpt from the evacuee's piece was extremely moving.
Liz:
You're welcome. And thank you for sharing how you respond to my work.
I appreciate your warm, caring candor.
Scot
Thanks, Patry. Appreciate your response.
I had read the piece that you wrote about and loved it too. I think that for me losing everything was a good experience in hindsight for exactly the reason that you stated. I found out what was really important in my life. I found that things don't count. I found my faith again.....This was a great post again, as always. Thanks.
Hey, JC:
I was hoping you'd stop by. Thanks for reading, and as always, I appreciate how you reflect on what your experience was with the work.
The image you gave me in your last comment of being "your cup of hot cocoa at night" helped guide my temperament as I wrote this essay.
Scot
Scot, just yesterday I was reading an article in Harpers on how people's compassion and goodwill suddenly surface in times of disaster. The usual judgements and disdain vanish in favor of grace and generosity.
Your ruminations here reminded me yet again how lucky I am, and how often I forget to let little thankful and compassionate actions inform the basic structure of my day. It can come in the form of a genuine smile, or in time given to help others. We are almost never able to give enough, but knowing we've honestly tried, can, I believe, imbue our lives with great depth.
I'm sensing a pattern here. It may just be the posts I've read so far, but it seems to me that you start out lamenting huge events far away and reflecting upon our helplessness in the face of such disasters; and then you find your answers in the little things around you (and God, of course, but hey, He's always there!). Perhaps this is real wisdom. In truth, we only imagine that the world has grown smaller; in reality our world continues to be the places and people that we know and the news media are little more than a sophisticated form of gossip. If disaster comes to us, we find a way through just as Liz described, through coming to know what really matters. And, if that be an apple in September, we have no cause for complaint.
Another great piece, Scot.
Garnet:
Thanks for reading and commenting. "The usual judgements and disdain vanish in favor of grace and generosity." I like how you put that, and so true, because when we give ourselves to the good of others we are at our very best.
Scot
Clive:
Thank you for being so astute. Although there may seem to be a pattern, I haven't necessarily been trying to create one. For me, the goal of each writing is to try and enlarge my power of thinking, organizing and expressing ideas so that I can create in words what it is that I am reflecting on for the purpose of trying to understand what I'm wrestling with. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I take a basic approach to writing that involves what I call "writing from the inside out" rather than from the outside in. I try to find my own responses and messages that need expression, rather than imposing thematic constraints upon myself. Modes of writing--description, narration, comparison, analysis, persuasion--evolve from the needs of the writing I'm working on. I do not impose them at the outset.
You make a good point when you say, ". . .we only imagine that the world has grown smaller. . . ." What matters is that we don't become too attached to the news, otherwise we lose sight of what's in front of us, ". . .the places and people that we know. . . ."
You do me well with your kind words,
Scot
Moving
Scot, I felt the peace that emanated from your post. I wondered, too, if having all that you have today makes you feel guilty for those that don't. I sometimes find this feeling floating through the channels in my mind when bad things happen to other people. Of course, that feeling can quickly be cured by finding a way to help those who have needs they cannot themselves cure. But is it natural for people to feel guilty for having?
Tanda:
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your response and find myself intriqued by your question. That as many people have lost so much, and in a lot of instances, lost everything they had because of these two storms, doesn't make me feel guilty, per se, but instead makes me more appreciative of what I do have, not just in terms of "things" but also in terms of the daily life I live. I'm not sure if guilt is the appropriate response. Although I may be attuned to the suffering of others, I am not the cause of that suffering. But by being attuned to their plight, and by realizing how fortunate I am, I can choose to be responsive by giving what I can to the various organizations that will contribute toward helping those in need. Does this answer your question?
Scot
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