Japan

This morning I woke up to -30 weather - again! As I looked out the window and saw how cold and dreary everything looked, I felt sorry for myself. It's been bitterly cold forever. I am sick of it. Why do we live in this cold climate, anyway? Then I turned on the TV and saw the horrific images of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. How terrifying those events must have been for the people who were caught first in the earthquake, then in a tsunami! We feel so helpless to assist them, here on the other side of the world. The weather here no longer seemed so bad. Later in the day, a friend and I were discussing the tragic events in Japan and how fortunate we are to only have to cope with -30 weather today. The topic turned to gardening and how we may lose a lot of our perennials this year because of the type of winter we have had. I mentioned to her that I hated the thought of having to replant everything. She reminded me that replanting a flower garden is easy when compared to rebuilding homes and cities which people in Japan are facing. We are indeed fortunate to living in a place seldom hit by tornadoes, floods or earthquakes. Minus thirty doesn't seem so bad anymore, does it? Wishing there was more we could do to help the people in Japan devastated by earthquake and tsunami, and appreciating our own safety - even if it is bitterly cold . . . it's a good thing!