Haiti Weighing Heavy On My Heart

The disaster in Haiti has been a true eye opener for me. After all the new reports and television coverage and radio discussions going on, I felt obligated to write this blog topic. I was listening to the radio on my drive in to work this mourning when I heard the topic of the day on my local radio station here in Michigan asking the question to its listeners : should the united states give aid to Haiti for the disaster relief efforts? This was due to the announcement from president Obama said we would give 1 million dollars." I felt ashamed to be an American by all the tons of callers who called in to the station stating the same old lines " we have problems here in the United states and in Michigan we should help our own."


After call after call I began to ask myself Whatever happen to brotherhood and sisterhood? Is this Americas test from God to see what we will would do to help another even though we have our own problems? I know first hand that things are great right now in Michigan and in other parts of the united states but compared to the everyday life situation in Haiti we have it pretty darn good. It was heartbreaking to know that television and water was like a luxury in Haiti which is less than 700 miles away from Florida. And I don’t like to drink water because I have some many other things to drink in abundance. We as people , me included scrap up every penny to make sure the cable bill is paid when we could watch regular TV. In Haiti TV is a luxury item. I have health insurance and most of the times chose not to go to the doctor and there are children and families buried under the ruble waiting, hoping and dreaming that they can be helped and treated by a doctor or anyone for that matter.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty on less than $2 a day. The history of Haiti is indelibly stained by political oppression, bloody coups, devastating poverty and deadly floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Over and over, it is a country that can't seem to get a break. Only about three in every one hundred Haitians have telephones, infant mortality is rampant and the average life expectancy is a dismal 53 years, with most not being able to afford the couple of dollars needed for antibiotics.

But back to my original question whatever happen to brotherhood and sisterhood? Remember when you were a child and your parents may have need a bag of sugar or maybe a hot meal you could go to your neighbor and get it. Those were the days. To me brotherhood and sisterhood means numbers and strength.

For me I just want to acknowledge that Life is good. The possibilities for joy and true fulfillment are more abundant than ever before for me and the people around me. It is great to be alive, on this day, in this place. And we all need to truly be thankful.

When disaster strikes, there are no magic words that will make everything all right. For if there were, life would necessarily have to be unbearably empty and shallow in order to accommodate them. What there is, is the opportunity and the obligation to love as you never have before. Choose to love, choose to live, and choose to be thankful. That is what you can do, and that is where the real magic will happen.

I just wanted to say that I Love You Guys.

Sincerely In Prayer,

Martina

Journey 2 finding Me



Visit my site @ http://journey2knowingme.blogspot.com/