June 1, 2006

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Anniversaries of traumatic events often trigger many of the same
feelings of shock, fear, and anxiety as the original event.  After
living through the terrible storms of the last two years, the approach
of a new hurricane season, beginning this first week of June, may be
causing you to relive some difficult memories.

If you were directly affected by the storms of the last several years,
then you may find these feelings arising again.  If you know someone who
was affected, or you will be volunteering or working with persons who
were affected, it is important for you to understand this information to
learn some important ways to journey with them at this time.

Lutheran Disaster Response would like to share with you some
information about the many ways in which people struggle with these
feelings, as well as some ideas for how to cope with the feelings you
may encounter.

Reminders of the past hurricane season such as the return of warm
weather, thunderstorms, and forecasts of hurricanes may bring to you
surprisingly clear memories and feelings from previous storms.  Don't
worry if you have strong reactions and feelings.  This is normal.  It is
also normal if you don't have any strong reactions.  Everyone reacts in
their own personal and unique way.

Some things you may experience could include:
*  Changes in sleep patterns, including difficulty sleeping and/or
sleeping more than regular.
*  Nightmares and very vivid dreams.
*  Changes in eating patterns, including loss of appetite and/or
craving certain foods.
*  Outbursts of emotion, crying, or loss of temper.
*  Headaches and other physical discomforts.
*  Feeling sad.

Don't worry if you find yourself experiencing these feelings.  This is
normal.  Having or not having these feelings and reactions is normal. 
If, however, these reactions are so strong that they alarm you and make
your day-to-day life difficult, you should consider talking to a mental
health professional.  Mental health professionals can be very helpful in
assisting us during these difficult times.

Feeling Prepared Helps

One thing that helps us cope with worries about what a new hurricane
season can bring is to work hard on preparing ourselves, our families,
and our homes.  Consider making a home disaster plan.  Information about
congregational and family preparedness can be found through the Lutheran
Disaster Response website at www.ldr.org.

Organizations such as the American Red Cross also have guides that can
help you form your home disaster plan.
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_601_,00.html 
     
No one can predict the future or what exactly will happen.  However,
feeling prepared to face the unexpected can significantly lessen our
anxiety.  While we cannot control what happens in the future, we can
control how we prepare for it.  By preparing ourselves to meet
uncomfortable challenges, we hope to respond more smoothly to things we
pray will never happen.

Kindling Hope

In order to kindle hope to meet the days ahead, it can be helpful to
remember and think about times when you have overcome hardship and
challenge in the past.

Try this exercise:  Think about a time when you or someone close to you
succeeded at something or won something that was hard fought or got
through some kind of tough time.  It could be something like mastering a
skill you practiced hard at gaining.  Maybe it's learning your daughter
just got her first job.  Maybe it's finishing school after studying
really hard for a long time.  Maybe it's when you built something that
you worked really hard on.  Whatever it is, allow yourself to think
about that thing, and try to remember how you felt the moment you really
got through it.  Then dwell not so much on the thing, but dwell on how
you felt.  Allow yourself to feel those feelings again.  Then try it all
over again with another memory, each time allowing yourself to feel
again the feelings that you felt when you had succeeded or won or
persevered or gotten through some struggle.

When we do this, the experience of feeling those feelings again gives
us a sense of hope and strength that lasts beyond the moment of the
memory.  And that sense of hope and strength bolsters us as we face
future tough times.

You are not Alone

Even when we feel alone, we really aren't.  God is dwelling within us
and caring for us in hard times.  There are also people with whom you
can talk to share how you may be feeling.  Your pastor is always
available to hear how you are doing.  In your community, there are other
resource people including counselors and other helpers.  We will take
care of each other and we will get through though these times together.

In Service,

Rev. Kevin A. Massey
Assistant Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response