September 7th, 2005 - filed in Relationships
all that is stuck in my head
"if people are too sick to be saved, they are simply brought to the morgue so that they may die in peace…"
i cant get those words out of my head.
"HELP" written on the rooftops, babies dying, rivers of tears flowing, lost pets, families seperated…
i cant get those images out of my head.
screams, cries, gun shots, pleas, and even thanks…
i cant get these sounds out of my head.
and i am 1,000’s of miles away.
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as i sit glued to my tv, tears peeking out of the corners of my eyes, i wonder what i can do to help.
i dont have enough money to give to make a difference. i dont have medical skills, security experience, or anything else they are lookng for…
but i realized that i know how to love. i have two hands. i can hug. i can listen. i can pray.
though i look at the things others are doing and suddenly i feel small and unimportant - i put myself in their shoes and realize that food can nourish, and clothes may protect, but without love, we are nothing - we are without hope.
i hope to be able to go to lowery airforce base this weekend to help the many people who survived and do anything i can. to be a smile to someone who may need one, a hug, an ear, or whatever they need. i want colorado to be a place of hope and peace for these americans.
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but maybe one thing haunts me most.
as we approach the anniversary of September 11th - i feel we are back where we started. not so say there is no difference between a terrorist attack and a hurricane, but the aftermath is erriely the same.
summer of 2003 i worked in new york at a summer camp based not only in the wilderness, but also in the heart of NYC. while in the city we worked in all of the bouroughs - but also into New Jersey and north of the metro area. we were working with kids as a response to 9/11 - helping them to laugh, find understanding, and even help out their faith lives. we were equipped with art supplies, a giant parachute, plenty of red rubber balls, and even a mental health worker. we did what we could. we didnt cure. we didnt make instant change. we just simply were. and as i see NYC healing - i find myself looking to the Gulf Coast with hope.
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let us open our arms and hearts. let us send the message that the "blatent disregard," (as oprah put it) is not ok.
"we must be the change we wish to see in the world…" (ghandi)