Almost Beyond Comprehension

I'm sure that many of you, like me, have been glued to the TV the last few days watching the news from Christchurch. I have been in tears many times as I see my beautiful and beloved birthplace reduced to rubble and looking like a war zone, and even as I type this my heart is in my throat. I am so distressed at the extent of the tragedy and cannot even begin to put into words how sad I feel for those people who have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues.

One part of me wants to rush over there to do anything I can to help, and another part is so thankful that I was NOT there, and that something like this didn't happen when we lived there and my daughter was small. When you see scenes like those from places you don't know it is bad enough, but to see familiar streets and well loved buildings - the Cathedral, the Arts Centre, the Time Ball in Lyttleton - it just makes my heart break.

Luckily, we have been able to contact most of our close friends in Christchurch and they are all safe. Some escaped buildings in the city just in time before they collapsed, others have internal damage to their homes but are structurally safe, one luckily was in Dunedin on business. I am so thankful.

But my heart goes out to everyone there and I fervently hope that more survivors will soon be found amongst the ruins.

I hope it helps in some small way to know that we are all thinking of you.

Kez