Haiti and Emotions

I wish to blog today about emotions. I started the day with high emotions of the thought of enjoying a lunch with an ex co-worker. Of catching up on where we each had gotten to after being laid off. Our plan was to meet at noon, in a small restaurant; passing the time catching up on the trivial issues we each have at hand. Just being the typical Americans on any given day.

As I sat in my living room waiting for the time to put the girls up, arm the alarm, and venture out for this lunch date; I turned on the news.I began to watch the horrible events unfolding in Haiti. I felt a tinge of emotion at the time but my mind was on the lunch date I was about to embark on. Time passed and I began the routine of leaving the house.

Upon arriving for  my lunch date; all events of the world dissolved and for a couple of hours I was engrossed in catching up with my co-worker. As anticipated we relived being laid off and the barrage of emotions we both had went through; where we both were trying to get with our careers or as the case may be, lack of. We talked about other laid off coworkers, technology and how to use it; everything I thought we would spend our short time doing. Then we said our good byes and went back to our daily routines; then I got back home.

As I began watching the coverage of the Haiti earthquake a rush of emotions came over me. It was the same set of emotions that had hit me during Katrina; pain, sorrow, helplessness. Why in this day and age of so many technological advances do so many people need to suffer. Do not get me wrong I am not second guessing the supreme being; I'm questioning humanity.

Surely, someone realized the minute this earthquake hit that these people would need help. We are not talking about a country that has a vast economic status. Why do we need to wait to be asked for our help? If you see a child crying do you wait to find its mother to administer comfort? I only hope not.

As I sat here I realize  that as an individual there is a very limited number of things I can do. I can give a donation to the Red Cross, I can pray to my god and I can do what I am now doing, write about my emotions. I can not send them water, I can  not send them food, I can not send them shelter, I can do nothing to immediately relieve the suffering. Our country was founded on "in god we trust," so that will be my choice. In my god I will trust.

Folks, I'm sorry to ramble on about this; but my fear is when another Katrina hits we will not be much better off. After all it took 5 days to get help to New Orleans and I do not see that much has changed. I could have drove from anywhere in the continental U.S. quicker.

So if I leave you with no other thought for the day; let me leave you with this one. Do not turn your head, do not pass by, do not act as though you did not hear. Face it head on, stop and notice, listen with all your might and then reach out with all you heart. Pay it forward; it will come back to you.

Until...