Over the past week, we here at The Daily Kos have been sharing with our fellow Kossacks across the nation who have found themselves the unwilling victims of nature. From the wildfires of Colorado, to the destruction in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. (among several other locations). The heat will not relent, and water seems nearly impossible to detect, save our tears.
Millions are without power. The swath of destruction is visible, menacing, unyielding and continuing. Many thousands have left their homes, with the stark reality that they may well have no home to "go home" to. For some, the damage is minimal--based upon the size of their refrigerator, or their hot water heater.
For others, they are literally returning home to a "smoking hole". For others, nothing awaits but a (as yet inaccessible) pile of debris, with a lifetime of everything--lying shredded, shattered and broken beneath.
Some have lost everything, including their beloved pets, gardens, and social structures. Some have not. The smells will, for most, go away in time. Those items lost may be forever lost, or might even eventually be replaced. Lives have been lost, too. Some would say that it is all a matter of degree.
No it isn't. Loss just simply is. These lives have been forever changed. They will, quite simply, never be the same again. The future may, in time, be better than ever--better than it has ever been before. The future may take a very long time to see, and appreciate regardless of what it becomes. Every day, that is a matter for those affected to determine and decide for themselves.
But, just for this time, it is entirely up to us. Let's come together and do a little future-building, shall we?
Let's consider this for a moment, and try to make some sense of it all, just below the squiggledoodlethingey fold.
It is a vigil for so very much. Join us, won't you? Both the gratitude, the concern, and the sadness await our very best wishes and thoughts, even our prayers. Just below.