MOST of today was spent glued to the television as the devastation from the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch continued to unfold.
I sat cuddling my little baby girl Holly as words like “we may be witnessing our darkest day’’ and “I’ve never been so frightened in all my life’’ came from the TV set. I was thankful three-year-old Princess Ella was in child care.
As a journalist, there’s a fascination with watching how people react under such extreme circumstances. But I didn’t watch this as a journalist. I watched it as a mother.
My heart bled as I saw battered bodies pulled from buildings, listened to the quivering voices of terrified eyewitnesses or caught the sheer emotion on the faces of ordinary folk walking amongst the city’s debris. Even the newsreaders voices were shaking as they tried to deliver the news. As a viewer, that cuts deep.
What I felt most though today was a feeling of helplessness. We spend our days nurturing and protecting our little ones, so there’s a natural instinct to want to help others. But, for now, we can’t.
It’s not the first time this year I’ve felt this – there was the Queensland floods and then Cyclone Yasi.
All I can really do is keep my beautiful, innocent Princess Ella from being exposed to such devastation. Maybe, for now at least, that’s enough.
My thoughts are with all those in Christchurch.
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