A Thought on a Monday.

A couple of weeks ago, my parents drove up to Sendai, Japan, where they were able to assist with the clean up efforts there. They came home with some interesting stories and a few photos of the devastation. I've had a few people ask about it, so I thought I'd share an idea of what it's like:

These pictures kind of remind me of what I saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  I remember cleaning a house for about 8 hours, and feeling a sense of achievement, like we were making progress. Then we walked out the front door and looked up the street at the dozens of other homes in total ruin. That feeling of progress quickly went away as I saw how much there was left to do. It was completely overwhelming, and that's kind of how I feel when I think about these people left to pick up the pieces in Japan.

But, the cherry blossoms still managed to bloom.

These pictures reminded me of an article I read last week. I can't find the exact link, but I saved some of the text:

"Still, as the trees bloom, sometimes amid mountains of rubble, they have become symbols of resilience. These cherry trees blossom each year despite any catastrophe,” said Noriyuki Kasai, the mayor of Hirosaki, a city on the edge of the disaster zone, some 400 miles north of Tokyo. “Like the trees, we will also recover,” he said."

For me, these pictures are a good reminder of the power of resiliency and hope. That as overwhelming as things can be, there is still beauty to be found. Even after a disaster.