Every Saturday all of the members of the Wat Opot family come together for a Buddhist service at the pagoda next door. The children sit in neat lines and sing and meditate under the guidance of a monk. Each week the service is dedicated to someone or something, and with past and present volunteers from all around the world there is always a cause for prayer. In February, services honored the Christchurch earthquake after nervously waiting for news that Fiona was okay. More recently, they have been for the many volunteers from Japan whose friends and families have lost everything in the tsunami. We’ve prayed for those who have passed, like Wayne’s mother, my best friend Kristen’s Poppop, and the beautiful Kirsten Mergner; and we’ve prayed for friends with illnesses. Today, we prayed for tragedy of the April 27th tornadoes in the southern US.
The heaviest damage was done in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of Alabama where my sister went to school and is currently living. I was beyond relieved to hear that she, her friends, and sorority sisters are all accounted for and safe. Many people that Amy knows have lost everything. Homes and memories are piles of rubble, and volunteers are scrambling to provide food, water, and medical care. The pictures that Amy has sent are unbelievable. It’s so hard for us to imagine what that would be like, without being there. To experience the sounds, the feelings, witnessing the aftermath. I can’t fathom what they are going through.
I sit typing this, so thankful to have a roof over my head and to be safe. I wish there was more I could do, but for now all I have to offer is my prayers. Please consider making a financial donation to relief efforts, or going to give blood (click here to find the Red Cross blood bank nearest you). If nothing else, please keep those who have been affected in your prayers.
Tuscaloosa, Amy, Christine, and all of the Alpha Phis and Thetas… Wat Opot and I send our love and support <3 Roll tide
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