West Virginia has taken a beating over the past week and a half. There have been massive floods, broken dams, children washed away, lives lost, houses washed away, and  what feels like insurmountable damage.

There have been outcries for prayers. Prayers for West Virginia have filled my Facebook. Prayers for the flood victims. Prayers for people helping. Prayers for those still missing. Prayers for those who are found. Prayers for those who are safe.  

There has been an outpouring of help. People have been collecting supplies. They have been pulling together and rallying. They are motivated into action. Stores have been emptied of water and paper towels and diapers. The Greenbrier Resort has opened its doors as a place of refuge.

I have also seen many people questioning the prayers. Asking why we should pray, or who we should pray to the God that sent the rain or the God that didn’t stop it? Many people get very angry at those questions. As a member of the UU community of faith, I cannot be angry at these questions. They are valid. Our spirits are part of each other. Our paths to truth may be different, but we are all connected. We are all part the interdependent web of existence.

For me praying is as much as about action as it is about about asking for something. It is about looking for solace, even if you end up finding that solace deep within yourself.