On a Personal Note…

It has been 2 weeks since the horrific catastrophic tragedy occurred in Haiti. Those of you who are close to me know I can be a bit sensitive at times :), therefore my emotions don’t come as a surprise.

I have experienced a complete shift in mindset since the eartquake. (Hopefully time will not cause it to dissipate.) Every morning when I brush my teeth, I feel this overwhelming gratitude for running water. When I shower, not only am I thankful for running water, but HOT running water. All day long as I go on with my day, I have sudden glimpses of how lucky I am. When I reach for a second helping at dinner, I feel rich. When my daughter spills her milk and it splatters on the floor and walls, I am thankful to have her healthy and here with me. On my only day off this past weekend, I spent it painting despite my extreme exhaustion. But how fortunate am I to have standing walls to paint? Working two jobs really beats me up sometimes, but thank God I have two jobs to work! And the list goes on and on multiple times throughout the day as I experience living and being. I have had the opportunity to reflect on all of the things I DO have instead of yearning for the things I wish I had. I cannot put into words how blessed I am.

This past summer I took my oldest daughter tent camping. We had Dad’s work van cleaned out in the back in case of rain and set it up like a mini camper. We had a mini fridge, radio, portable DVD Player and smart phones. The victims of this hurricane have tents and I believe blankets. I can’t even imagine!

Another realization I have come to is that I really need to get my ducks back in a row with the Red Cross. Monetary donations just don’t do it for me. I need to physically be there, hands on and help. Local shelters are preparing for the arrival of many planeloads of Haitian refugees over the next few weeks. I’ve been inactive with the Red Cross since the birth of my youngest daughter almost 3 years ago. I am pretty sure in order to participate in the relief operations I need to have completed my feeding and sheltering courses. (Looking into this.) I’m not sure how I am going to swing it working two jobs, being a traveling cheer mom and raising a toddler, but it is imperative I make time for me and fulfill MY passions. Disaster relief is something I plan to be very active in when my children are grown. Life is short. Why should I wait?