Facing the Aftermath
Sometime between Frances and Ivan, a friend asked this question: Is God mad at us Floridians or what? My answer at the time was "what"--in other words, it's just weather, not the wrath of a vengeful God. My answer today, though, would be a different one: It was more than just weather; it was an opportunity to discover more about ourselves than maybe we wanted to know. Did we face the storms with
fear or with faith? Were we concerned only about ourselves, or did we truly care about our neighbors' welfare? And just how willing were we to share whatever we had with those who needed it? As long as we refuse to wallow in self-condemnation, reflecting on questions like that can bring us closer to becoming the person we've wanted to be all along.

--Marcia Ford
from "Life After Frances: Post-Hurricane Reflections from a Weary Floridian"