On Saturday, terrible, tragic news came from Nepal… a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake leveled ancient temples of the Kathmandu Valley, collapsed houses, and killed thousands. I still can’t quite process what happened. It’s hard to fathom that beautiful, peaceful Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur – which I visited just less than a year ago – were destroyed in a matter of seconds. These sacred spaces, in a few terrifying moments of the ground shaking violently in pointless wrath, became hell on earth.

I know that Nepal will recover and rebuilt. Destruction on that scale – and even larger – happened in 1934 when the 8.0 magnitude earthquake did similarly unimaginable damage. I remember when visiting the ancient squares and temples I was looking at old black-and-white photos of how these places used to look prior to that earthquake. I’m sure one day we’ll look again at the painful before-and-after photos flooding the media now and, with the perspective of time, appreciate the country’s renewal after tragedy.

In the meantime, my heart goes out to all the victims who suffered in this terrible event. And my mind, weary of the images of death and destruction, longs for Nepal’s serenity, temporarily lost but sure to be recovered – hopefully soon. Behold the Garden of Dreams. Read the rest of this entry →