The Pain of People with Hope - Haiti

The magnitude of loss in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti seems unimaginable.
To be without the basics-
water
safety
shelter
food
sanitation
..seems beyond comprehensible.
It moves me to tears to see the plight that has been thrust upon the people of this impoverished nation.

To have so little-
to loose so much.
To have nothing.
To be stripped of all but your soul.
And in this strife to see arms raised in prayer.
Prayers of thanksgiving.
Prayers of hope.
Prayers from people who are being tested beyond what
most of us could comprehend....

How does one look for tomorrow?
How does one look for hope?
How does one pray that prayers do not dissolve into tears?
Visceral screaming.
Pain that emanates from deep within.

What lessons are there for me to learn about myself,
humanity
loss
grieving
possessions
comforts
faith?

"There but for the grace of God go I."
I heard my Mother say that more than once as a child.
As an adult, I understand those words and the complexity they entail.

This understanding born of my own grief.
Of dreams lost
of time not alloted to me
from a parent lost too soon
from growing up too fast
amidst confusion and quiet
not sharing pain
and delving deep inside for answers not found.

Tears are salt and salt heals.
They heal open wounds.
They heal hearts torn and ripped apart.
They heal wounds that seem un-repairable.
They heal.

The people of Haiti need prayers
They need hope.
They need to heal.
They need the ability to believe that tomorrow will be better.

Better than today or yesterday -
when so many tomorrows were taken
and shaken from their grip.
Taken by the violent shaking of Mother Earth.
When towns and villages and tomorrows were crumbled into ruin.
When doors and windows
became blocked with the rubble of memories
and rooms that held love and living and moments
are filled with debris.
When skies turned dark with the dust of
buildings
dreams
and devastation.

They need light
and love
and knowing they are not enduring this pain alone.
They need you.
They need me.
They need to begin again.
They need hope.

Don't' we all?

Sending love and light-
for this is all I have.


Patricia