For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I watch the footage of all that is happening to our friends in Japan, I feel overwhelming sadness. Having lived in Japan for 2 years and having known the exceptional grace and caring of the Japanese people I encountered, it is even more troubling and heartbreaking.  The events of the earthquake and tsunami were devastating in themselves, tragically taking lives, homes and material possessions.  The aftermath of these events takes these challenges to new heights.  Lack of shelter, food, warmth, clothing and other supplies make you realize just how fragile all of our lives are and how everything can change in an instant.  I think of these people as I type this message on my computer in my warm home, on my comfortable couch with my two precious babies sleeping in their rooms and  awaiting my loving husband to come home from his business trip. And as I type, I know how very lucky I am and that I want to kiss my babies a little longer in the morning before heading to work, hug my husband a little longer before we go to sleep tonight, and tell my family and friends how much I love them just because.

It’s these moments of recognition and gratitude that open our hearts to be vulnerable and remind us deeply in our hearts, just how precious the basics, we sometimes all take for granted, are in our lives.