Waters Overflowing

As I sat today staring at the swirling water pummeling through what had once been our property, I felt closer to the tsunami victims than ever before. Somehow, witnessing the great and destructive power of the Delaware River near our home in this most recent flood connected me to those on the other side of the world in a way that news footage never had.

As we in our neighborhood clung to every bit of information offered about the rise and fall of the river, and all that news meant for us directly, I realized those living only a few miles away were no doubt going on with life as usual.

Just when I was feeling fully immersed in realizing the impact of this flood on “us,” I looked up. There, across the river in clear view was another neighbor, water not just skirting up her property line like ours, but completely covering the first floor of her home.

Suddenly, our troubles didn’t seem to matter so much. Funny how nature has a way of stopping us in our tracks and making us remember how interconnected we all really are.

Laurie Smith