Words fail, wit pales, articulation is difficult

Seems like a frivolous thing to do - try to be witty, fresh and somewhat entertaining in this blog when there are clearly more pressing things to concern myself with. Of course, as we all know (unless we've been afforded the immense privilege of living under a rock for the past 2 days) there has been a terrible earthquake affecting Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. More than 30,000 people are dead and the number is climbing. An article on CNN.com this morning said that 40,000 people have been injured. It's difficult to imagine those numbers as they relate to people. 30,000 is the number who live in the town I grew up in (well, one of the towns). 30,000 people wiped out *like that*. I can't imagine it. It would be as if the whole town I lived in was gone - all killed by a natural disaster in one fell swoop. Men, women, children, whole families, old people, babies. Schools filled with children for the start of morning classes toppled by shaking ground beneath, trapping and crushing the students and staff inside. It's hard to fathom. I don't even know what to say. Words are failing me right now.

On a personal level there was an accident this weekend involving DC-Jen. She's going to be alright. It was a car crash. She spent a couple days in the hospital, had a couple surgeries, and will be able to recuperate nicely. I wish it was as simple as that, though. She'll be physically OK, she'll recover from her injuries, she'll be whole again. But, someone else won't be and she's wrestling with that and will be for some time. She had gone to do a good deed, to help someone she cared about, and she walked away but he didn't. She's in a lot of pain now, and I can only hope that she is able to come to terms with what happened in her own way, on her own time. She's right up at the top of my thoughts. I'm sending her all the goodness I can.

I'm not very entertaining today, not my witty self. If you know any good jokes, feel free to leave a comment. I think we could all use a laugh.