Friday, September 01, 2006
Endurance
Living here on the coast of Northern California, good weather is something we come to expect, but some days are so perfect it's hard not to feel especially blessed. Yesterday, walking the shoreline of Stinson Beach while our dog and local kids played in the surf and pelicans dove for sardines offshore, was one of those perfectly placid days. Waves lazily rolling in from the Pacific Ocean, barely a noticeable breeze, and the fog bank hanging far enough out to give a clear view of the horizon.
Having recently read a post from my weblog friend in Gaza--another coastal location--I thought about her laments at not being able to swim or sunbathe or picnic or eat sardines this summer, due to the Israeli gunships and gunboats shelling her community daily. Absorbing the natural peace and quiet on our blissful stroll, I also reflected on the stress she and her daughter live under as bombs explode and buildings collapse at night around their small apartment overlooking the beach they cannot enjoy.
As a physician with the International Red Crescent, Dr. Mona El-Farra has an enormous amount of responsibility and sadness in her daily work with the injured and traumatized at the hospital there in her hometown, but somehow it was the thought of there being no relief available for her, no down time, no rest and relaxation, that stuck in my head this glorious morning before Labor Day weekend. And to think she's lived with this her entire life.
Having recently read a post from my weblog friend in Gaza--another coastal location--I thought about her laments at not being able to swim or sunbathe or picnic or eat sardines this summer, due to the Israeli gunships and gunboats shelling her community daily. Absorbing the natural peace and quiet on our blissful stroll, I also reflected on the stress she and her daughter live under as bombs explode and buildings collapse at night around their small apartment overlooking the beach they cannot enjoy.
As a physician with the International Red Crescent, Dr. Mona El-Farra has an enormous amount of responsibility and sadness in her daily work with the injured and traumatized at the hospital there in her hometown, but somehow it was the thought of there being no relief available for her, no down time, no rest and relaxation, that stuck in my head this glorious morning before Labor Day weekend. And to think she's lived with this her entire life.
