Recently, our country was beset by fires in the south and floods in the north, both at the same time. During these terrible events, there were many media interviews with people who were deeply affected by the loss of their homes, machinery, outbuildings, animals, businesses and in many cases, they’d lost everything except the clothes they were dressed in (and even one gentleman commented with a chuckle, he’d been given the clothes he was wearing).
I was amazed at how stoic these people were and how, in the midst of their own lives being upended, they were still able to voice their gratitude to the people who were helping them; the helicopter pilots who rescued stranded people and much-loved pets from the roofs of flooding homes or dropped fodder to stranded livestock; the people who set up evacuation centres for those in danger or already homeless; the people who made up emergency kits of daily necessities; the people who offered caravans and places to stay and those firefighters who left their own homes to help others and returned to find their farms destroyed. Most of the victims would probably never meet any of the people who’d given up their time, energy and even their lives to help the fire and flood victims.
As I watched events unfold, I remembered part of a reading that had come through several months before. It sounded familiar and perhaps my guide was reminding me of something I’d once read but it was a timely occasion to remember it.
“Giving creates good kharma and will bring tenfold what you give. To give and not expect any return, reaps pennies from heaven.”
I sincerely hope all those people who have suffered through these awful events and the aftermath, get the help and support they need to restart their lives. It’s also a comforting thought, that those who have given so much in response to the people whose lives have been shattered in these disasters without counting the cost to themselves, will also be in some way recognised and rewarded.
