unnatural disasters

Like most times, I am overwhelmed. Unlike most times, it's not because of my own troubles or illness or lack of planning, or catastrophes, but people who are close to me are suffering greatly. Not only they, but people in Asia, in the China earthquake and Myanmar's catastrophic bungling of aid to people after the cyclone. I am full of worries for them, and prayers too when I have the sense to pray instead of pointless worrying. The worry spills over into stupid things like cooking (is my roast beef spoiled after sitting in the fridge?) and plans for the day (will people be offended if I don't go to the mica graduation show?), and how late I stayed in bed this morning, wishing that my own ridiculously long dreams weren't so exhausting that sleep would be welcome.

I want to fix it all, I want to be able to descend on the situation, talk sense into certain people (or beat some sense into them, which probably would only make me feel better), heal others' minds and bodies, comfort and counsel and wave my magic financial wand over people's mortgages and heating bills, grocery bills and plumbing and doctor bills, but I can't. I can only pray, and be uncomfortable not knowing what to say and then say something stupid and probably unintentionally hurtful or frivolous, because what else is there to do? I myself collapse when challenges come to me, so what good am I to others in situations I only have nightmares about? So I can only pray, a powerful thing but silent, not flashy and certainly seemingly pointless at times. I know it isn't, I know it's the best thing one can do, but it still feels so inadequate.