A Little Excitement

The first day of the academic calendar started off with a bang!

After a fairly full morning of Mass, history and lunch, I returned to my dorm for a brief period of rest before my next class.  I had woken up from a nap and was sitting down to read when the building began to shake.  I assumed, at first, that someone was jumping up and down or otherwise shaking the floor.  As the seconds passed, the shaking became harder and harder until things were rattling on shelves and walls.  There was perhaps thirty seconds of more intense tremors, followed by a longer period of lighter shaking.

Indeed, we had an earthquake!  The epicenter was only two hours away from us here in Front Royal, and the quake itself was estimated to be a magnitude of 5.8.  You can see the United States Geological Society's information on the quake here.  Since we are situated in a mountain range, I suppose I should not be surprised that there is a fault line nearby.  However, it was quite a shock!  Feeling an earthquake, especially one as strong as this (stronger than I have ever felt) gives one the immediate knowledge of one's own inadequacy.  For a few seconds, there is the unconquerable feeling that as much as I may think I am in control, there is nothing I can do about this.  God has a power which man cannot grasp, but it is in those moments when even nature holds sway that humility is inescapable.

No damage or injury here, for which God be praised.  As an interesting tidbit, one patron saint against earthquakes is St. Francis Borgia.  Pray for us!

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