But his heart aches for the home he left just last year.

``I always smile,'' he said as he serviced a steady flow of customers at the Chevron station on Meridian Avenue.

``I'm always happy. But it's a kind of shock that runs through my body and that runs through my brain. Everybody has to embrace the reality and nobody can control nature. Nothing is permanent, but we have to accept the reality, however unwillingly.''

Weerappulige, 40, lives in Tampa and works in Dade City.

He and his wife, Renuka, are natives of Sri Lanka, one of the Asian countries devastated by the earthquake and resulting tsunami Dec. 26. More than 27,000 people have died in the small country, according to The Associated Press.

The couple moved to California last year. After two months there, they came to Florida, and two weeks ago, Weerappulige began operating the gas station.

On Thursday, Weerappulige seemed cheery as he worked in his store.

He admitted, however, that psychologically he still is trying to grasp the reality of the disaster and its effect on his homeland.

Weerappulige is from southern Sri Lanka, the region of the country most affected by the tsunami. He said he has spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get through to his and his wife's families.

Weerappulige said his father-in-law was outside his house when he was suddenly up to his neck in water and covered in mud.

He said his older brother managed to escape the city of Tangalle, which is on the southern coast, when he heard rumors of the tsunami's approach.

They're safe now, he said, but many other people who Weerappulige knew have yet to be heard from. Weerappulige said his younger brother, who lives in the more mountainous south-central region of the country, has traveled to the coast to aid victims.

``Hopefully, there'll be news soon,'' he said.

Weerappulige described his homeland as a paradise of beaches, mountains, forests, waterfalls and all types of wildlife. He said that he can't remember a natural disaster, which makes the devastation harder to accept.

Even safe in his gas station in Dade City, Weerappulige still is grappling with the gravity of it all.

``I'm still so shocked with the way it happened,'' he said. ``Within two seconds, a beautiful paradise vanished. And tens of thousands of children and older lives vanished ... ''

He couldn't complete the sentence.

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156.