Hurricane Irene and helping others

This has been a rather insane week as far as the weather is concerned, especially for the Midatlantic region. We experienced an earthquake on Tuesday (my first, Matt’s second) that rippled through Virginia and affected North Carolina all the way through New England and even into Canada. Shortly after, preparations were underway in these same areas for a hurricane that still looms on the horizon for many eastern U.S. coastal states.

As Floridians, we’ve been in several hurricanes, myself and Matt, so this is nothing for us. We have water, food, alcohol, and a few things to fly in the wind as Irene brushes the Maryland coastline — everything you need for a good old-fashioned Hurricane Party. But for some reason, this time around, I’m reflecting on the beautiful brutality that is inherent in natural disasters.

It makes you realize just how small you really are. When you compare your own stature to the sheer size and strength of something like Irene (pictured above as it broaches the North Carolina shores), you feel almost like a speck in the grand scheme of things. The way a single storm can take out entire cities with mere gusts of wind is almost admirable in a way that is also devastating.

As miniscule as we may feel comparatively, though, it doesn’t mean that we’re insignificant to our fellow humans. This weekend, while Matt and I are preparing for a long (and admittedly fun!) weekend stuck inside with card games, candles, and “crunk juice”, we’re also sharing our home with friends who made the long, arduous trip from north Florida to make new lives up here in the Maryland/DC area. While it may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme, the ability to help out our friends in need, the chance to really make a difference even in two peoples’ lives, can really make you feel like you’re helping in a big way.

Especially when times are hard! While I didn’t have the opportunity to help with my own bare hands, the nation watched and participated as the victims of Hurricane Katrina were helped not by the government, not by corporations, not by anyone who “should” have been helping… but from individuals from all over the country. One small speck traveling to a foreign state, torn apart by a storm that wreaked havoc and caused many to lose everything they had, might not seem like a lot. When that speck banded with other specks, though, and came together to reach an ultimate goal to help other individuals, that is what created the grand scheme and made a difference in so many lives.

So while this storm batters the eastern coast and many people prepare for what could be the worst in their areas, just remember that you may be a speck when compared to Mother Nature’s intense, majestic, and even terrifying storms, you can absolutely be the “grand scheme” to someone else.

Blessings and good luck to everyone preparing for this storm! ♥