Writing from Phuket

As I am writing this, I am sitting in the hotel lobby of the resort I am staying at in Phuket. I arrived here on Monday morning to be greeted by our two friends who offered to share their space with me. This is my first visit to this renowned Thai vacation island. The weather has been pleasant with short and light intermittent showers throughout the day. Since the resort is close by the beach, it is also wonderfully breezy.

So far, I have spent much of my time reading and sleeping - incredibly relaxing. Yesterday we took a cab out to the island's city centre to get food. During the drive there, we made conversation with the cab driver. The conversation quickly turned to the tsunami of December 2004. I casually asked the driver if his family was affected (when I really was expecting a "No" response). Sadly, he replied that he lost his baby and his son in the tragic incident. I immediately said that I was sorry. But beyond that, I found myself at a loss for the right words (not just because of the fact that he did not speak much English but because I simply didn't know if anything I said would ease his pain). Soon we found ourselves in an awkward silence. Fortunately, one of my friends quickly diverted the conversation to something else.

The encounter reminds me again of how often we are in contact with people who have experienced or are experiencing some kind of suffering. However, we are frequently too busy or caught up with our own "life" to hear such subtle cries. Or, we try to avoid connecting on that level as we find oursleves unable to emphatize with the other party. I am for one guilty of such wrongdoing! However, I know that I have come some way from before but I continually pray that God will teach me to feel comfortable with other peoples' pain and to respond appropriately in love and wisdom. May God help us!