Aug 29, 2017

31 Days of Gratitude: Day 29

Day 29: An Uncomfortable Gratitude

I woke up this morning to the sound of the rain. The weather here in DC has been remarkably beautiful. August is usually hot and humid, but this week has been gorgeous with low 70s and no humidity. We slept with the windows open again and, therefore, could hear the rain. I jumped up, worried that water would be coming in. I felt some momentary relief that the rain hadn't come in. And then I remembered Hurricane Harvey and felt guilty for worrying about damp windowsills.

I think it was the picture of the elderly women trapped in an assisted living home while sitting in their wheelchairs in waist high water that brought home the unbelievable tragedy playing out in Texas.
You can't watch this suffering without wanting to reach out and help. But I also reacted by being grateful for having a safe, dry, home. It feels funny saying that -- I'm grateful that I'm not suffering what someone else is suffering. I guess it is human nature to feel this way, but it is an uncomfortable gratitude. Regardless, here's hoping the rain stops soon and no more lives are lost.


4 comments:

luvhymns said...

DC, I live in Woodsboro, near Frederick. We're practically neighbors. Have a good one! It's raining here too.... my garden loves it!

Leslie Miller said...

Well said. An uncomfortable gratitude. That was one of the most heartbreaking images for me, too. Yesterday we were socked in with smoke from the fires in the Coast Range south of us and all up and down the Cascades to the east. We aren't in danger, but there's so much fire I think the whole of western Oregon is getting the smoke. I was walking in the garden, hearing and watching the birds all around me, thinking about the critters and people who have lost their homes, and I thought how lucky our birds and squirrels are that they still have a home. I would hate to lose our woods. It struck me how painful it must be for the people who have lost everything in the fires. Yes, an uncomfortable gratitude.

Anonymous said...

I live in South Central Texas, inland enough not to be pummeled by storms or hurricane force winds. I am grateful as I keep my fellow Texans in my prayers.
Joan, thank you for this series and for your honesty and humility.
Donna
dmc4042--native Texan

Janet said...

This post has haunted me for a couple of days since I felt exactly the same way last weekend. I was catching up on my One Little Word and journaling and all of a sudden I felt like such a whiner! And then I reminded myself that my life is real and mine and one of the ways I deal with it is journaling. Instead of guilt, what I am really feeling is compassion. That is especially precious in the world we are all living in. And, Joan, your compassion just glows.