Quakers believe there is that of God in every single person, and that every one of us is capable of communicating directly with God.  My experience has been with a God of compassion and justice.  This morning I was awakened early, feeling the wrath of God.  Now I know what others have written about fearing God.

What I am hearing is we can not be silent as the ecocide of Puerto Rico plays out.  What I am hearing is to call on those who have the resources to find ways to get the people of Puerto Rico the basic necessities they need so they will not die.  I don’t know who that is or how it will happen, but I have been led to write this, having faith.

I’m hearing we have to take personal responsibility for the environmental damage we have done with our personal automobiles, airplane travel, large homes, etc.  We need to wake up to the direct connection between that and this summer’s hurricanes.  Our lifestyles caused the environmental conditions that created these monster storms, and those that will continue to appear.

We need to also speak the heart rending message that Puerto Rico and the islands in the Caribbean should not be rebuilt because of the inevitability of continued, worse storms coming.  The people there need to be evacuated.  We need to find ways to help, and homes for these climate refugees.

Florida