How it feels to be in Japan right now

Nothing like an 8.9 earthquake to make you realize you're loved! Thanks for all the calls, messages and e-mails. We're fine here. Really. I swear. Think of the state of California. The devastation happened in San Francisco and we live in San Diego.

On Friday we didn't feel the earthquake (around 2:45) and when the sirens started going off at 4:00 followed by an announcement "THIS IS NOT A TEST. STAY OFF OF THE SEA WALL." I figured it was "just" a security breach. I was out playing with the kids and talking with my friend and neighbor, Mary, and Audrey comes out and says "There's a Magic Jack call for you." I came inside and it was one of my best friends from high school who is also Audrey's Godmother, Kelli, calling from Seattle. She said, "I'm sure you know why I'm calling." I didn't. She told me what was happening. Then our regular phone rang and my friend Megan told me about the tsunami and told me to turn on the Japanese news channel. Unbelievable pictures and so scary. So, so, so very sad.

We saw we were shaded yellow (not orange or red), but didn't know what they were saying because it was, obviously, in Japanese.  We saw Okinawa was all red. And that felt weird because we just got back from there the previous Saturday.  We walked over to our world map and studied exactly where we were and talked about how the barrier island is protecting us. I was so proud of Audrey for knowing the name of that island (Shikoku)! She has her Daddy's geography skills and not mine! ☺

We hung out for a few hours and the tsunami threat passed. Mick needed to get a hold of all his Marines. Most were on base, but there was one in Okinawa and one who was on the way to the States. He finally got a hold of his Deputy, Rob, who was in Okinawa. Mick called me and said, "Rob's hair is fine!" :) (Rob is rather handsome and Mick likes to tease him about his hair. Jealous!) But he couldn't get a hold of Isaac who would have either lifted off right before the earthquake or was at the airport in Tokyo (called Narita). I thought to call a friend of mine who is neighbors/great friends with Isaac's wife and she was with her and they had just heard from Isaac. He was still at Narita and they had hustled them out of the airport and into buses. They ended up being on the buses (not being driven anywhere is my understanding) for about 7 hours and then they finally let them back in the airport and he left for the States. Everyone on the base was accounted for, thank the Lord! And later we heard that all personnel in Japan had been accounted for. Amazing really!!!

Mick had a meeting on Saturday where they talked planning. Not sure the plans. I never ask Mick to tell me things that I may not need to know.

Now the nuclear meltdowns....I would be lying if I told you it didn't bother me some. However, I have faith that the Marine Corps would get us out of here if it was not safe to be here. There is a procedure called "NEO" for "Noncombatant Evacuation Operations." They had actually just had a NEO exercise the day before we left for Okinawa. They had about ten wives sign up to be the evacuees and they issued the NEO call, had them come to the evacuation site, and took them to Korea for the night. My friend Megan was one of the "evacuees." 

Mick said that, of course, the Marine Corps would rather not evacuate us, not because of the expense, but because that would send a terrible signal to the Japanese government and citizens. BUT they WILL if it is needed. They would not risk (overall population) women and children for political reasons EVER. And I trust the Marine Corps.

God bless and love Mick....he puts up with my questions and calls and always has...but yesterday he came home from his workday which now include a department head meeting at 8:00 each morning and 4:00 each afternoon and said, "Because of YOU....we're going to try and make information more accessible." He said that at the end of the meeting, after they talked about various things going on, he (Mick) brought up....our families are feeling a lot of anxiety right now and wouldn't we like to get them real and true information and be able to stop the rumors and quell the fear? So they are going to start putting information out on AFN (Armed Forces Network) about what's going on. Way to go Mick!

And I know and believe all that I wrote above. Really. But once in a while, when you're rocking your baby girl in the darkening hours, you take the time to pray....and it's not the praying, but the quieting of your mind, the only time that day that you let your mind speculate....and you get a little panicky. I prayed for the people of Northern Honshu. Those that need to be rescued. Please Lord. Don't let them be holding on this long and then die. May the rescuers get to them. Be with the rescuers. Give them courage, give them luck, give them the strength for this mission. And the poor souls who have lost their lives. Lord, please welcome them into heaven and give comfort to those who they left behind. And dear Lord, I hate to be selfish, but please oh please protect my family, my children, my husband, and me too, because I want to be here for my children, from radiation. Protect all of the people of Japan from radiation.

And here's where I'm thankful that I became a Catholic for our marriage. Because I was introduced to praying to Saints. Which is, how it was explained to me, asking these Saints, who are in heaven right now, to pray with me. So there's more "people" praying when I am. And when Holy Mary, Mother of God is praying with me...that's comforting.

But I've ran out of words. But I still want to pray! So I pray the Our Father. And say some Hail Mary's. Because it's comforting to say these words, knowing you are still lifting up God and Jesus' name, but you can just let your mind think about what you want to pray about. I think about the map of Japan. I think of the red dots where it shows where the devastation is. I think of those terrible before and after photos and the videos of the tsunami tossing the cars and ships and flattening homes.

I don't know how to pray the Rosary. Not sure what bead is for what and how do you "reflect on the sorrowful mysteries?" Do you say a Bible verse? So I come downstairs and order this DVD, aimed at children and teens, on how to pray the Rosary. And once I get it, I'm going to play it for my 6th grade CCD class I teach. They always ask for videos and the past teacher would play "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and assorted Veggie Tales on holidays. So my class and I are going to learn to pray the Rosary together.

But until then, I'll just say some Our Father's.  I asked Mick to pray with me, last night while we were laying in bed. And we said an "Our Father" and then five "Hail Mary's" and then an "Our Father." And it made me feel like I was doing something. Because it's so very sad. The Japanese are such gentle, beautiful, proud people. You want to help them. But for now, this is all that I can do.