Haiti.

I just couldn't handle the thought of continuing to write about things like trips to the library and choosing restaurants and planting gardens without taking a few steps back to talk about what has happened in Haiti and, frankly, what happens all over the world, all of the time.

I could remain blissfully unaware of things and, sadly, I know that there are countless tragedies about which I know nothing.  That is the nature of living in a place like this and never having had to go without.  But, it is hard to avoid thinking about Haiti right now, and I think that it's a good thing that it's hard to avoid.  They need all the prayers they can get.  And supplies.  And medical care.  And money.  And homes.  And answers to their questions: "Why did God do this?"  "What now?"  "Where is my family?"  I can't imagine having to carry those burdens with me.

I think about the world's problems in grand scale, and find that I am overwhelmed.  I always want to do something, but I often feel very small and incapable of helping.  I can send money--I can always send money--but I don't think that money is the only answer, by a long shot.  I want to be there, I want to help make a difference in some way.  Even though I have no medical training, I believe that I can help to restore the health of people who ail just by caring--bringing joy to lives that are faced with so much tragedy that they're almost immune to it...bringing hope to the lives of people for whom it is just a passing dream.

Agreeing to some measure of service, whether for someone in your backyard, or for someone across an ocean or two, is life-changing.  It has to be.  It offers the benefit of learning to appreciate what you have, rather than constantly searching for more.  It is said so much that it's verging on being a cliche, but it's so true that you learn more from the people that you hope to help than they could ever learn from you.

Haiti is in the midst of a major crisis on a good day.  They are the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and now even greater tragedy has struck.  What can we, the people who have laptops on which to blog, who have homes in which to live, who have clothes to wear, who have our families in tact--what can we do to alleviate some of the pain?  We can obviously pray.  We can encourage others to do the same.  And, here are some links to websites that are doing what they can to help (in Haiti, and all around the world).  I'd encourage you to take a look:

Samaritan's Purse
Operation Blessing
World Vision
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

In closing, my five reasons to be happy:

1. Hope
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Love
5. Faith