Just short days ago I wrote about laughter, the furthest thing from the minds of the Haitian people at this moment, whose capital city & surrounding area was, on January 12, devastated by a .7 Earthquake.
Port Au Prince, Haiti's capital city was at the heart of this quake. I simply just cannot imagine what this would be like to live through and though my heart is with the people who have to endure this devastation, I hope we never have to experience this kind of tragedy.
From pristine to rubble in such a short few minutes; the presidential palace was not immune to the grip of the quake.
I have tried and tried to put myself in the shoes of these people but as I sit in a house intact, watch cars drive down the street, make my lunch, play with Mocha and do all the things we take for granted, I just can't quite get out of the shoes I am so used to wearing. There is nothing that could ever prepare me to face a tragedy like this. Again, I hope this is something we never have to face.
2 comments:
It is so hard to imagine although the pictures show the truth - and those poor people who are trapped and hurt crush my own heart. If you aren't hurt or worse, you have no home... no matter how prepared we say we are for anything, you don't know anything about it until it happens. And to quote you "I hope this is something we never have to face."
Be safe always.
We are inextricably linked, man to man, which allows us to feel such empathy for others during tragic times. It never ceases to amaze me how people who are experiencing these tragedies are concerned only with their family. The things we take for granted are often not the things that fill their minds: houses, possessions, etc. But family (including pets) are their first and foremost concern. I can't endure just watching these people's suffering. I always have to contribute to the international red-cross with whatever donation I can or I just can't sleep at night. Everyone handles it differently but that has been the answer for me. When I was in high school, a family lost their house and dog+cats in a house fire. I was devastated for them but had no funds to help. The next day, I scrounged up enough change to buy a coffee on the way to school and gave it to a teacher who was going through a divorce. She wasn't one of my teachers but I knew she was going through this difficult time. She gave me a big hug and thanked me with tears in her eyes. Is that what they call, paying it forward? So much suffering in the world - thanks for posting the article, Grace. Always good to stay grounded in the things that matter.
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