God’s Drum Solo
“Lord, if you won’t take care of us
Won’t you please please let us be?”
One of god’s drumsticks played out a spastic solo a dozen blocks or so from the shanty. I grew up in Ohio so tornadoes are something I’m at least vaguely familiar with though I should note that no tornado has ever really impacted me personally. The situation the other night is a real Freddy Krugar scenario. Middle of the night and all. At least up north there are Civil Alert Sirens. For those unfamiliar, these are large, usually yellow sirens on the top of public buildings that let out an ungodly noise when something bad is about to happen to you. It’s hard to forget they’re there since they are tested every second Wednesday of the month at noon. It is increasingly odd to me that I haven’t heard anything about implementing this sort of thing as part of the Emergency Response System. Its an old technology, but it might have netted less injuries the other night.
As New Orleans gets hammered again and again, I keep waiting for people to stop thanking God for what isn’t fucked every time something bad happens and start blaming him for it. Faith is a funny thing. On the one hand, if something doesn’t kill you then it isn’t because God missed since he’s all infallible but infallible also means he meant to tear the roof off your house. I guess I’m not the best theologian to comment on God, but I do have an understanding with God (actually, with the universe, but we’ll say god for the benefit of the zealots) where as long as he leaves me alone, I’ll leave him alone. Oh, and talking shit about God like I’m doing here is well within the bounds of our agreement since I’m fairly certain he talks shit about me as well. At least, he does when he’s drunk at cocktail parties.
Anyway, I was going over my ‘To Do’ list.
-Dodge a bullet: check.
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yeah, after looking at the map of the tornado’s path on nola.com this morning, I realized I dodged a bullet too. I only live 4 blocks from Carrollton Ave. Not much damage in mid-city, but I still feel lucky that the crumbling slate shingles on the house next door didn’t turn into shrapnel.
This is not the first bullet you have dodged mister (nor shall it be your last). Better get that helment ready, life’s a coming.
I’ve been reading a book called “When Bad thing happen to Good People” that is helping me deal with some of those questions Jack. Might not help everyone but might help some of us, give it a looksee
You mean that book from, like, 25 years ago based on the writings of Job or is there a newer version out there? I’m familiar with the older one but I don’t think I ever actually read it. After the storm I was reading “The End of Faith” by Sam Harris and it helped me a lot. Good book, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.
No it’s the older one. A Rabbi who lost his son in a car wreck, questioning things, decided to write it and explore what he was going through.
I was born and lived the first 13 years of my life in the Mississippi Delta region (northwest Mississippi) and have been near and in a few cases in some direct hits by tornados. To me they are the most frightening things I have ever lived through. Probably the worst was when my Momma, Dady, brother and I were taking over in the central bathroom while a tornado tore the roof off the house. We survived without a scratch but I was scared to death. I prayed very hard all through it.