Did you hear about the tsunami that killed thousands of people in Thailand?
On December 26th, 2004?
Well, I did. I watched the news, and the death polls, and the destruction after wards.
But much like 9/11, it did not really hit me until I saw the aftermath myself in 2008.
That picture of me looking at the wall?
That is the memorial for the people who died in the 2004 tsunami.
Name after name after name became face after face after face.
And for me, the disaster became a reality.
Here is a quote I found when researching the death toll:
“The Tsunami waves that hit Thailand reached up to 50 feet high snatching
the lives and destroying the
properties of both locals and visitors alike. A reported 8,000 were
killed immediately, 8,500 injured and about 2,800 missing including
foreign nationals. Reports showed that children and women were mostly
the ones killed. Some 1,600 bodies are still unidentified.”
(http://www.visit-chiang-mai-online.com/tsunami-thailand.html)
The memorial maybe had 115 plaques on it, many of them empty, most of them from the families of the foreigners.
But each one represents a life lost. A soul perished.
A smile no longer seen. A laugh no longer heard.
Death is real. We all know this.
But coming face to face with the wreckage and the turmoil rips away our naivety.
And yet, where life ends, life also begins.
A forest scorched by fire will one day grow green.
Land covered in lava will one day sprout.
And a city under water will one day be rebuilt.
Part 2 coming tomorrow!
