When did compassion start to fade...

It's September 20, 2008. Exactly a week ago, I was sitting in my house wondering how we made it through the last 24 hours. Hurricane Ike came to visit Texas and left disaster and chaos in its wake. The previous night was spent huddling with my children on a make shift bed in the middle of our living room. The wind whistled through the house and the windows shook with the fierceness that only a hurricane can produce. Kids being kids, they fell asleep before we felt the full force of the storm. Somewhere around 3:30 AM (and why is it ALWAYS in the middle of the night??), a huge branch blew free from the cottonwood tree out front and smacked into the roof with such momentum that it stuck right through the shingles. Fortunately, it landed primarily on the porch. Minutes later, the electricity was off and the storm took on a more eerie personality. Sleep was no longer even a thought....

As dawn approached, the winds slowly started to die down. Though the rain continued, as the night became day, neighbors started to come outside to investigate the remnants of Hurricane Ike. It became evident as we inspected our house that we were the lucky ones. There was a lot of debris but not much damage. A small hole in the roof, a fence down here and there, and it was hard to see grass on the lawn for it was covered by small branches and leaves. But nothing that couldn't be fixed or cleaned up. We were also lucky because we regained power in less than 24 hours.

As the days progressed, the TV was inundated with story after story, horror after horror, but also amazing feats of compassion. People were helping people. Neighbors were talking to each other for the first time in years, or maybe just the first time ever. My fence was fixed one day...I have no idea who did it...when I left home in the morning (on Sunday) it was down, and when I came back that afternoon, it was up. It was amazing.

But today, an email was forwarded to me that told the story of Ike in picture form. I think it was from the Boston Globe. After the 22 pictures of the effects of the storm from Haiti to Houston, people posted comments. There were many that shared their prayers for everyone effected by this natural disaster. But there was one that just stuck in my craw. This person commented that we got what we deserved because we chose to live on the Gulf Coast. I was stunned. And it made me sad. I wonder what kind of history did this person have that made him/her lose their compassion. When did their cynicism take over from their ability to comprehend a person's loss. I also wondered if this person ever spent a vacation at the beach...any beach. Did they ever wonder where those people lived who served him/her their margarita under the cabana while they enjoyed their fun in the sun?

My loss was nothing compared to those in Galveston and other coastal towns. Ike had 45 miles over land to buffer its winds before it hit my trees and my house. But those folks lost everything...and to that one commenter in the Boston Globe:....when did your compassion start to fade.....