Making Sense Of The Unthinkable

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan occurred while I was away at my writing seminar, and closed off -- intentionally, so, honestly -- from any current events news while I was there.

It wasn't until I was on the way home and saw a newspaper headline at a gas station that I heard the news.

The sheer scope of tragedy and devastation is impossible to really grasp all at once.  Entire villages seemingly wiped off the map, the ongoing struggle with the nuclear power plant and its potentially long-term devastating impact on the region, or the incredible bravery of the engineers who are working so hard to save their own towns and families and homes from further damage at a plant where they know their own lives are most definitely at risk minute by minute?

How can anyone possibly wrap their brain around all of it, or understand the exhaustion and incredible loss of the people who live there?

My heart aches, but there truly are not enough words. 

I find myself watching or reading the news with tears rolling down my cheeks.  And I have no real means to explain this to The Peanut, even though she clearly wants better answers than "sometimes horrible things happen, and we have to work together to make them better as best we can."

There just is no way to make sense of anything this devastating.  My heart aches.

(Photo via opencage.)