Earthquake of small magnitude

I was just going out to work on my interview prep for tomorrow.

As the elevator door was closing,

I saw the door began to shake -

I did not know why it was doing this.

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I thought the elevator was having a huge breakdown

(it is an older one).

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The elevator started really rumbling and shaking,

sand was falling on my head.

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I prayed Lord have mercy automatically

three times

and pressed the elevator alarm button.

By then I was going past the 2nd floor and

then it opened like it is supposed to one the first floor.

I called my landlords immediately,

still thinking that it was just an elevator problem

(a BIG elevator problem!).

One woman was very pale,

everyone started coming out of the building.

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Earthquake!

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And I was in an elevator!

***

Eventually, after talking with various neighbours,

I went back to my apartment;

I had already prayed for my Cleo cat,

who is fine

but may have been a bit worried;

books fell down, icons, my willow branches from Palm Sunday.

But my dishes, open on shelves, were still in tact!

My icons are okay.

My lampada is still lit by St. George and

my icons of the Holy Trinity

and the Transfiguration.

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I called my parents, called my Ottawa family,

texted my godchild

(she is fine too)

went on Facebook to say I was fine

and saw other friend's updates about it...

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and so is the story of a small earthquake felt in Ottawa

in which God spared many.

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Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy