**nature** a really big word

At the beginning of the month, I decided to "participate" in SacredHolidays photo, blog or status THANKFUL challenge.  And honestly, I realize it is meant to be of a religious nature but eh, well, I thought I'd do it just being myself.... 

Today the word is NATURE.  I was prepared all day to show a really amazing picture of the beach and how thankful I am for the peace I find listening to the sound of the sea, the heat, the salty water... for all those days we are able to spend on the beach, I am blessed.  

But after hearing about the terrible events that unfolded today in France I thought about another kind of nature.... HUMAN NATURE.  Humans are apparently just natural a**holes.  We are sadly in a global society of selfish, material and violent jerks.  Human nature is a set of norms or a way to conduct life as noted on Wikipedia.  And how sad is it that what is becoming "normal" is terror attacks, mass shootings, hostage situations, theft, etc.  How terrible of a world we live in that our natural tendency is to turn the cheek on such atrocities as hunger, human trafficking, sexual crimes and shout in dismay about a red cup.  

Nature and all of its glory is right before us and we are haunted by the images of terror attacks and our own local horrifying crimes.  Nature was never intended to be abused so mightily by careless and senseless humans who have learned how to act disgracefully. I have no answers people... but believe in good people, in saying thank you, in holding hands and accepting people as they are in the space they are in.  We are not all meant to believe the same, worship the same, walk nor talk the same... the natural order is for us to be different and to live in some sort of harmony and peace.  But we have strayed pretty far from that and so now many of us just ignore those really big things and focus on the crap.  

And so as I close up my computer for the day, I too will say a prayer for Paris and for those I actually know there.  For all the survivors and the victims and families.  It is in my nature to believe there are some helpers out there doing what they never thought they would have to ~ and I hope they can find peace.