The Power of Wind and Water
Hurricane Katrina.

She is now added to the list as one of the BIG STORMS. One of the BIGGEST, in fact.

Thanks to the presence of the Internet I watched TV from New Orleans last evening in the preparations for the Hurricane. I could read blogs from those in the midst of it. I could follow what was happening in great detail.

But even with all the technology, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, I or anyone else could do about it. It was relentless. After a certain point, when you know it's coming, all you can do is run, or wait and pray. Only that last minute little jog to the east made a little bit of difference to New Orleans, but not to points east. Yes, the technology probably saved many lives, those who could get out of the way. Which is actually a big deal, don't get me wrong. Buildings and highways and infrastructure can get rebuilt. So it is good to save as many lives as possible.

But the awareness of such profound powerlessness is deep and will probably linger in many, many lives for many years to come. The awareness that when push came to shove all they could do was - nothing. It is at that point that we have two options. One is to give up. Despair, ultimate loss. The other is to believe that there is something- some power behind all this that can somehow make a difference. That is the point that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross called the last stage of dying- acceptance.

It is also the First Step of the 12-Steps. Only when we reach that point of accepting our powerlessness at the very core of our lives can we go anywhere truly profound.

My prayers are with those struggling this evening. For the homeless and frightened and despairing in New Orleans, east and north. May God's strength surround them and keep them in the palm of His hand.

Notes: Brendan Loy has some excellent pictures posted on Katrina. He also makes a very important point. This storm was not over-hyped. Only two seemingly small changes AT THE LAST MINUTE kept the whole scene from being a catastrophe only equaled by the Galveston Hurricane and the bombings of World War II. No that is not hype. We must not, as Brendan says, add to the culture of complacency about these storms. They are real and stronger than we think they are.