Prayers for the Haitians

Life is funny.  It appears to me that within every tragedy there's hope, every dark cloud a silver lining, every bad experience a lesson to be learned.  The tragedy in Haiti is no different.  Many look at this devastation and are left without words, I (as always) have a few.

The thing about tragedies is that even in their horror they create this space.  Space for the yet to be discovered, space for us, as humans, to unite and come together.  Space for us to reach across and fill the void that another has.  This sounds morbid, but it's not meant to be.  The wonderful thing about tragedy is it gives people the chance to take away the suffering of one of their own.  It gives each of us the opportunity to reassess what is important in our lives and to help others in need. 

If you look at all that the world has suffered through you could become overcome with grief and dispair or lifted up with hope.  Look at the last ten years, despite all the economic turmoil, the tragedies we have endured are nothing compared to the humanity that has risen above it.

9/11 - This tragedy was the worst terrorist attack our country has ever faced.  In the midst of it all neighbors came together, strangers helped each other, and men & women gave their lives for their fellow Americans whom they had never met.  Firefighters and police officers ran into the terror when others were running out, jumping out and doing whatever they could to get out.  The American spirit could not be broken, not by plane, not by bomb, not by hatred.  The stronger the hatred grows the stronger we are.  Some times we forget this and get complacent, but our enemies should never take that as weak or uninterested.  They simply attack and we will be there, ready to defend our country, protect our neighbors, and lend a helping hand to whomever needs it.

Hurricane Katrina - This tragedy was awful, there's no denying it.  They are STILL working hard to fix everything, and yet the outpour of kindess from Americans and the world alike was ground breaking.  Celebs & common man alike donated as much as they could to help those who needed it.

This story of devastation is one we have heard before, but just as before we are prepared to act, willing to help, and despite all differences Americans and the rest of the world come together to help those in need.  Sometimes tragedy has a funny way of bringing us closer together, if only for a few days.