American TV is showing us pictures of Japan last year and
this year. Is it even possible for us
here to conceive of what remains to be done?
Mountains exist – made of what were people’s homes and workplaces. Empty
frames stand like skeletons – the remains of what were children’s schools.
The size of the Japanese islands it only 21,607 square miles
smaller than California. I’m imaging Los
Angeles County turning to rubble and wondering where in the state would we put all
that cannot be reused. How do you
recycle such devastation? In Long Beach
where I live we annually collected trash – not by choice, but because the
cities up stream of the San Gabriel River allowed street debris to wash into
the sewer system. The amounts piled up
each year where the river meets the sea resulted in a major clean-up, a
tremendous expense and harm to wildlife.
If that boggled my mind, dealing with the resultant waste piles in Japan
is like contemplating space – no end in sight.
Everyday concerns are now focused on what’s safe to
eat. One report I read detailed the
everyday search for food products not coming from an area that had nuclear
contamination. We wonder if the field
workers washed their hands thoroughly before picking our broccoli.
Last year the Los Angeles Turners were able to activate the
German-American community. The amount of
money sent, insignificant compared to the continually mounting costs, did
express our feelings and concerns for the Japanese people. Today, the best we can do is to remember. So, to two special people in Japan, Riki and
Yuki, I send love, strength and much hope.
To those of us here, take a moment today, please do remember. 
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