Proud momma post - and prayers for Japan

I am at a loss for words with the tragedy in Japan. My heart hurts for all the poor people who are suffering, who have lost loved ones, who have lost everything, who are now living in fear. Words are not enough for them.

Our second oldest daughter Meghan, is currently stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, just south of Tokyo. She is in the Navy on the USS Blue Ridge, an amphibious supply ship. Fortunately she was not on the island when they experienced the earthquake. She was safe and sound in Singapore where her ship had docked the day before. I knew not to be afraid for her when I heard about the earthquake, but I sure had a lot of people calling me to check on her. (My heart is carrying enough right now, I think God knew that.)

Here is the proud momma moment: Their ship has been sent to deliver much needed aid and supplies to the suffering of Nortern Japan. She may or may not directly have an impact, but she is going to be experiencing something that will alter her way of thinking. She is going to be doing something that most of us can only think about doing. She is going to see people who are truly suffering. She is going to see the anguish, the despair, the ultimate of destruction, and she is going to be able to say that she was a part of the healing process. That is pretty incredible, and I imagine that there are going to be moments that she will never be able to forget. The face of a stranger. The site of a building lying in ruin. Splinters of homes lying in a field. A jumble of nonsense. I pray this will be a moment of maturity for her. I don't want this to scare her, but I want it to awaken her. I want her to truly realize that she is witnessing something that is so horrific and to be able to appreciate the magnitude of the situation. (no pun intended) I want her to grow from this and become a better person- I hope she learns to care more, to love more, to find the good, to make every moment count. Things that one cannot fully teach their child.

May God bless Japan, and all those who come to her aid.