I read the news yesterday about the earthquake and tsunamis in Southern Asia, and have kept an eye on the internet all day as the death toll continues to climb. Tonight as I get ready for bed, it's at 21,000 dead, according to an AP article on Yahoo news.

It's odd - I remember the huge earthquake in Bam, Afghanistan a few years ago. It felt so distant and removed from my own experience that I couldn't relate or emphasize at all. This is much 'closer to home.' Perhaps it is my recent familiarity with earthquakes and typhoons in Taiwan, but the articles I've read have an emotional effect on me. So many dead, with no warning at all. The inconcievable loss of life and the massive destruction caused by a 'natural disaster' is made more painful, because unlike 9-11, there is no one to blame. I think I am still processing the whole thing. Oh, and it's also somewhat disturbing because the island of Penang was where the Tsunami's hit the worst in Malaysia. I'm staying on that island in less than a month, and the exact beach my hotel sits on was in the paper this morning because an entire family of 5 was washed out to sea there on Sunday. It may mean I'll need to cancel the beach part of trip and stay in the inland cities. But still, it's a reminder that our lives our frail, and still very much out of our control. I'll be praying for all the people whose lives are in turmoil because of this 'act of God' and remembering that my own life is much less secure than I think it is. (P.S. Don't worry, Mom and Dad, this means the chances of a big earthquake happening in Taiwan so soon after are next to nothing. Whew!)