On the serious side...

I do not read the newspaper, or listen to a radio station or watch TV. The only communication I have with the outside world is the people I meet and this silver box I am typing on. (I know this makes my friends from Reuters crazy.) I see the top news stories as it appears on Yahoo and that's all. I am not a person to discuss current events with, unless you want to know what I had for breakfast or the last picture I took.

Recently, we have had a few horrific worldly situations that wasn't caused by a natural disaster, but human disasters the worst kind. As I was walking the dog in the compound, us dog people discussed them. "Hey did you see the front page of the Gulf Times this morning?" a gal says from across the street. "No, what happened?" She tells me of a terrible terrorist attack in Mumbai India where they were targeting Westerns, especially Brits and Americans. Then another lady chimes in and says did you see the airports in Bangkok were closed and the entire county is going crazy. Now this is a much different conversation than I would be having on Clubhouse Circle Drive with Chancy, Kathy, Melinda and Socks about which Mexican food place we were going to eat for lunch that day Pappasitas or Rancheros.

But now I am in a different world, a much smaller one. This world I am in is transparent, you can see through to the other side now. Imagine a globe, America is completely opposite from where I am today, when I lived there all I knew was what was in my comfort zone, Texas. Living here, it is like the globe is glass, see through, you can see everywhere from here. Everyone is your neighbor, not just Louisiana. Does that make sense?

When we hear of these stories some of us, especially me, do not act like they even exist, because it is not real to me, Tsunami, fires in California, Earthquakes, train crashes, because we are so far removed from it. People don't get the hurricane damage either, unless you feel it or see it first hand...Like the Twin Towers, Heck I was in Magnolia and didn't know a soul there. Although it was horrible, It was almost like it wasn't real to me until 2003 when I went to New York and stood there among the rubble and felt the emotions as this street musician violinist was playing Amazing Grace, THEN I felt it. OUCH, double OUCH...
You see, Chris' boss and wife left for a wonderful vacation in Thailand last week to be greeted with a country of turmoil. They were cooped up in their hotel for days and finally bused to Phukett to try and get out of the country to return home. Prayers for their safe return tomorrow morning, please. They are still not back...

Yesterday I found out a good friend of ours from Geneva was in Mumbai in the Taj Hotel ballroom, the one that doesn't exist anymore, the one the Americans and British people were executed by terrorists, he escaped through a window he busted out. The room he was in was blasted later. He is lucky to be here today.

This is real. This is not just a story you are reading online, or a news breaking event on CNN that has nothing to do with you... This world from whatever corner of it you are on, affects us all. He is our friend, a Dad, Husband.. Shoot I took his son's Senior pictures! We are just so thankful he is OK!

I have come to the realization that nothing is safe, perfect or forever. Driving down I-45 is probably more dangerous than traveling to third world countries... I don't want to get my mother all riled up thinking I am in danger... But we are all in danger these days.. Although I didn't vote for Obama, I have high hopes that his leadership will improve the overall worldly issues surrounding us today.

Until then, I believe it is essential that we all continue to pray for peace.