Thursday, February 12, 2009

Loss


The tremendous Loss of Life... the Survivors... the Rescuers...

The unbelievable devastation that has ravaged Australia in these recent Victorian Bush Fires....



My heart bleeds............ My mind goes numb .................


Oh how I wish you the greatest Strength to overcome this....




25 comments:

Morna Crites-Moore said...

Oh, Gwen - I know you really do feel their pain.

flyinamber said...

Poor people and poor animals there in Australia..so wonderful country so devastated..

Arija said...

The loss of life is really all that matters, even if your family is still intact, whole communities are missingneighbours, school friends, people you are used to greet in the street....where do you start to come to terms with that?

Gwen Buchanan said...

Arija, I just can not imagine the scale of this and the picking up of the desperately few scattered pieces....

Morna, the loss is incomprehensible.

Yes Dada... such life and beauty destroyed..

Ruth said...

I noticed the contrasting 'gentle sun' on your sidebar.

sandy said...

I feel the same Gwen. It's absolutely such a tragedy.

laura said...

Beautiful picture--the imprint of someone who's moved on.

Anet said...

A very sweet tribute Gwen, it's just heartbreaking.
I love the photo. It's almost haunting. Like ghostly footsteps.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Ruth, Sandy, Laura, and Anet.... This tragedy is just too sad for words, isn't it? It is so massive!

VioletSky said...

There are no words ...

Debbi said...

Yes, a tragedy. So devastating for the people, and to boot millions of animals have died horribly. That really saddens me greatly. . .

Gwen Buchanan said...

Sanna and Debbi, also the loss of future dreams... we will never know

Melanie said...

Hi there. Our house was unharmed because the firefighters put it out less than a mile from our house so I am not a bushfire victim. I just want to say though that my mates here is Australia would all appreciate your kind thoughts and although Victoria is preoccupied at the moment, no well wishes go unnoticed. Cheers everyone. Stay safe:)

Gwen Buchanan said...

Melanie, I am so glad you are safe!! You must have felt so lucky to have escaped the ravages of this terrible blaze... The immensity and the swiftness of it boggles my mind...
Friends of my daughters, lost their homes in Kinglake but they managed to escape injury..
We had a house fire in 1990.. burned to the ground in the dead of winter...lost everything... our dog and cat died in it too... I know how these people are going to feel in a week or two or a month.. they are probably still in shock now ...they need care now but they will need even more care then... when everything is gone, you feel so alone in the world... it is so hard to know where to start... they will need such strength... I can hardly stop thinking about them...

Seth said...

Such a tragedy. All our thoughts are with them!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Yes Seth, and for a long time to come

rauf said...

This is not the first time Gwen. People fail to anticipate such disasters. And they forget fast. You'll find many settling down near active volcanoes because the land is very fertile. People take huge risks to survive.

Gwen Buchanan said...

yes indeed Rauf, There is that familiar feeling and idea that "this will never happen to me".. "that only happens to the other guy" sometimes it takes actual harm to the individual to make them pay closer attention... and even sometimes that doesn't work...
and I agree.. tragedies seem to be too easily forgotten for people to learn from... I do not understand why?
even in world affairs, why don't they notice how history repeats itself... ??? sometimes we need to take new roads...

woolydaisy said...

thanks for posting this!-ive been distraught as well. i live thru this fear every summer and fall. yet i'm beaten down to think it was started by arson-not a natural phenomenon-i.e. lightning strike. heavy.

Gwen Buchanan said...

Wooly , You have very drying winds in your area too.. it must be terrifying and you must feel you have to be on guard all the time during the fire season...

I read on an Aussie newspaper that a young boy on a small motorcycle went off the road and the vegetation was so tinder-dry a fire started from the sparks of the accident... everything is going to the extreme...

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Just heartbreaking.

herhimnbryn said...

Thankyou for posting this.

jo horswill said...

Oh Gwen, I have been crying all week...Thank you for posting this...made me cry again, only this this time for my appreciation of you. Jo xx

Gwen Buchanan said...

Hi Jo, I'm so sorry to make you cry again... I can't get my mind off it.... as I know how hard it is going to be...I feel so deeply for everyone this has happened to... and really, it has happened to everyone who has a heart...

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you herhimnbryn and Pamela...