Perspective

Day 22

Today has been a great day. This has been a great week.

But, tonight I find myself a bit blue. Hope For Haiti Now is on practically every television station and my heart aches for the 200,000 who have died and for those who remain that suffer. Think about that number. It's four times the population of Hendersonville, TN.

This monumental suffering makes my little 100 pound weight loss journey seem like the easiest thing in the world compared to those who don't have water, food, sanitary conditions, clothes or shelter. The challenges I face in my daily life are nothing compared to the hardships these people must still face. Most of them lived a meager existence before this tragic earthquake yet even in the face of more hardship many of them still have hope. I find this remarkable.

So, tonight, I won't brag about my awesome week. It's seems petty. I will simply say this. I'm grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon me.

I offer this poem for the people of Haiti

In the stillness there was no stillness
only aftershock and cries
Children wander parentless in the streets
no clothes, no water, no shoes on their feet

In the stillness there was no stillness
only settling dust and flies
Bodies lay lifeless in the streets
No blessings, No burials, No food to eat

In the stillness there was no stillness
only planes that can't land filled with supplies
Riots and looting fill the streets
Infrastructure remains incomplete

In the stillness there was no stillness
only the hope of Haitian's joyous cries
Miracles revealed in empty streets
8 days later the world still weeps

By Margaret Angell
January 22, 2010