“Everything else can be replaced…”

This morning I went for my solo walk, because my walking partner is out-of-town.  This bird was making the rounds for  breakfast.  After my necessary walk, full of warmth, sun, and lots of birds singing their tunes, I came home and turned on the tele to catch up with the news of the tornado in Joplin, Missouri.  One hundred and sixteen people have ceased to exist.  That’s the latest count.

While the information was being presented, one of the survivors, was giving a description of the experience he and his family went through.  He was being very descriptive.  I felt, listening to him, that I was going through the experience myself.  Then, the interviewer asked him how he felt now that he had lost everything.  He answered:  “I have my family with me, everything else can be replaced.”

I turned off the tele and started pondering on that phrase.  “Everything else can be replaced.”  I need to make sure that the memories I store in my heart and soul are always reflecting the goodness of us all, because I never know when everything I will have left will be my memories.  I need to choose the goodness of any bad situation I am confronted with.  Need also to be compassionate enough to forgive anyone that I may interpret is being hurtful to me.  I need to put myself in their situation or pretend to analyze the why of their behavior.  All and each one of us have been exposed to trauma, drama and lots of crapola in life.  What’s going to be?  I will make sure from now on that I will only choose the goodness over anything else.  It leaves a sweet taste in your mouth also.  Even the darkness of night has its own beauty.  It also makes us appreciate the brightness of a sunny day.  How’s all of this tied to the title of the post?  Because anything can be replaced, except for the memories and the love of those around you.  Sometimes my thinking is a bit complicated, but I hope you get my train of thought.

Changing for a moment the topic, here’s Mr. Cardinal, having a close encounter this morning.   This is the closest I have ever been to one of these colorful and beautiful creatures.  He was there on that wooden post for a while.  He was taking care of his bathroom duties.  Maybe a bit constipated, because he really took his time.  What?  You don’t think they get under the weather also?  It depends on what he had for dinner.  Always take things a step further.  Nature is just another image of our own self.  Lighten up!  Life is short…use your imagination.

You may be thinking, how can this woman be writing about such a tragedy and then out of nowhere jumps into something so totally unrelated.  Because that’s life.  Totally unrelated.

Going back to the victims of the tornado in Joplin, I am praying that our Creator may bless all of the victims and their families with patience, peace and the motivation to carry on.  As one of the victims expressed it very eloquently…”Everything else can be replaced.”

Remember the Red Cross.  They are the first ones to arrive.

So it was today…23rd May, 2011…a day to mentally support victims of any disaster…it could be anyone of us any given day.

Your Happy Contessa

“I expect to pass through this world but once.  Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now.”  Anonymous