I sit down to try and get through some of the emails that have piled up I see a twitter message pop up from Andy Carvin. “Chinese media now saying up to 5,000 people killed in today's quake.” A few moments, he added “NPR's Melissa Block is in Chengdu, which was hit by the earthquake, along with a team from All Things Considered.”

I flip to Google News for more details. I read about tornados in Oklahoma killing 22, continued problems with the relief efforts in Myanmar where thousands have died from a cyclone. I read about wildfires raging in Florida and a volcano spewing ash in Chile.

Some of my conservative preacher friends might use this as a chance to talk about God’s retribution for whichever is their favorite sin du jour. If anything, it makes me think of two issues. We are called to be stewards of God’s creation, and I wonder if too many of us have forgotten that in lust for profit and power.

More importantly, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, something we need to do more of as we all work together when confronted by cyclones, volcanoes, earthquakes and fires.

On the radio, Steve Earle’s “Christmas in Washington” comes on. “So, come back Woody Guthrie, come back to us now… Come back Emma Goldman, rise up old Joe Hill”. Goldman’s famous line, “If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution" comes to my mind, mixed together with the music of Steve Earle, Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill.

Yes, there are tribulations that people face on this rainy Monday morning in Connecticut. Some are man made, some are natural, but they all offer opportunities to gather together, to love our neighbors, to dance and to sing.

“So, come back Woody Guthrie…”