Ring of Fire

On March 8, 2011, I printed up maps of plate tectonics and active volcanoes to help alleviate Gil's fears about them, along with his fears of tsunamis and earthquakes happening in our neighborhood. It's March 11th now and my son has gone to bed with the maps for 3 days, studying the weak areas and fault lines of our earth until he reached secure acceptance as to the reality of what he saw on those papers. His realization that Ohio stands so far away from The Ring of Fire quashed the nightmares threatening his sleep, and as a bonus, his new-found knowledge produced an evolution, allowing him to begin comprehending my passion for and connection to the geological makeup of our planet.

Up until today, I thought there was a distance between my home and The Ring, too, but that was before I heard the number 8.9 and saw the waves carrying cars and crashing houses and fires in the midst of it all. I think of the children whose nightmares have just begun, wishing I could send them each a map while telling them, "Come here to Ohio. It's safe here. I will teach you how to feel safe on our earth again and tomorrow we will go hunting for limestone fossils in the driveway. Now hush and sleep well."