“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly, and with conviction, you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten. In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you. We know that you are a strong and resilient people. You have endured a history of slavery and struggle, of natural disaster and recovery. And through it all, your spirit has been unbroken and your faith has been unwavering. So today, you must know that help is arriving — much, much more help is on the way.”
– President Obama, January 14, 2010
This is definitely a week when I have no trouble at all recognizing how lucky I am, in so many ways. My thoughts are, and have been – like so many others – with the people of Haiti. The more I read and see, the more my heart breaks for them. The devastation is incomprehensible to those of us who are surrounded by the everyday things that we never think about but that keep our lives running smoothly and safely: sewer lines, building codes, police presence, basic infrastructure. In light of what’s happening, here are the things I’m grateful for this week:
1. the sheer outpouring of support from all over the world – everyone wants to help
2. that people like Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh, who have said some truly heartless, despicable things about why this happened and what the United States is “getting” out of it, have been roundly and unanimously shouted down by everyone I’ve come across, both personally and in the media
3. that I can do something to help, even in a very small way
The Red Cross has raised 5 MILLION dollars, just from it’s text campaign – you can donate $10 to Haiti relief by texting “Haiti” to 90999. Through Yele Haiti, you can donate $5 by texting “Yele” to 501501. You can check out a list of legitimate charities organizing relief by clicking here. Whatever you can give is enough.
What People Are Saying