these are very powerful poems!

bizi

Prayers for Haiti - thread started by Abasaki

yes beth, and true to the bone.

Proud to say my nephew is on his way there with the Navy to help out... and relieved and proud that my niece who was there teaching voluntarily, was ok after the quakes and now the school is helping with food for people suffering. hugss all, sarah

HI,

I'm happy to hear that your niece is safe.
Both niece and nephew are doing good work.
M.

thank you for your post here!
it is a comfort to know good people like your niece and nephew are there to help.

i'm glad your niece is fine. and ... you have one fine niece, and nephew!



~ waves ~

Hi,

The news looks bad:

-->> The port is not accessible at all and will need three days for the US Coast Guard to clear it before any relief ships can get in.

-->> I heard that the airport was functioning at night as of tonight (Monday) but can't find that in any internet news.

-->> I hear that the biggest bottle neck is the streets -- almost no way to get in aid via truck.

I think that TV is not telling us what is really happening.
Even if the aid groups are doing everything short of miraculous, it is not possible to do what is needed (and the aid groups seem to stink). TV is talking about how much time this will take. (Time not a good thing for people without water, food, medicine, sanitation, housing, . . . never mind the historical non-existence of a functioning government)

I'm saddened.
I need to come up with a plan and discipline myself to stay away from the news.
I send prayer and hope to the Haitians and wish that they knew that people in the rest of the world hope for them.

M.

i watch a little news, and keep up a little by reading, because i feel a responsibility to keeping informed. i read news from the US and Caribbean as well. not all of it is negative, but things are slow going... yes.

unfortunately, as responsible as i may feel, there is not much i can do from where i'm at. and OD'ing on the horrors

- does NOT directly help anyone there.
- does NOT empower me over the situation in any useful way.
- makes me feel scared, sick, hopeless, ..., overwhelmed
- does nothing good for me

if i had to give 2 cents of "advice" to take or to leave, for anyone concerned or upset about this, it would be:

- get your information in moderation. limit exposure based on your own emotional tolerance. there are plenty of people hopeless. we need to keep hope, not destroy it and i have found that OD'ing on reports of what isn't happening yet... is emotionally destructive. we have to manage our emotions. turning off the news at some point can be the best thing. it does NOT mean you are ignoring the situation. ignoring is one extreme - dwelling is the other. moderation is a vast territory in between, and different for each person.

for the rest... do things that empower and serve.

- donate or assist in a way that you can. if that means you can give only 5c, that is fine. if you can give 2 million, fine. everyone is in different economic situations. but if everyone could give what they can it will all add up. and the aid WILL get there eventually. this WILL be needed.

- honor the country and culture of Haiti as a torch of life for survivors, and as a tribute for those who have or will die. Mari you did this for example by posting those poems for us, also describing the painting.

- pray, meditate, wish, hope, send good vibes... whatever is your thing that you do in a spiritual sense... do that. i believe these things help. it will help you as well. because it is in your power.

---------------------

btw... if i am not as present in this thread as i might like... or as i might "think i ought" BIG SIGH... it is because, like now, i am overwhelmed. and it happens whenever i post. there is a reason but not that i can share, so i understand that folks don't understand... even though that adds to my difficulty in posting.

~ waves ~

right. but i want to add a good piece of news that i heard... they dug out 3 people who had only minor injuries from under a shopping mall yesterday. they had been trapped since the earthquake with no food or water. but they made it. against all odds...

sounds like a good idea. i wish you well with this. I send you some of my "reactive" ability to shut things off / close browser windows when negativity threatens to overwhelm.

yes. and thank you.

Dear Waves,

Thanks for sharing the good news.

I am trying to not be reactive. . . .something I need to learn.

It's not about the horror for me. I'm not watching that stuff. I'm watching with a great deal of frustratiion. But as you say, I can find a way to be empowered.

I'm also a little caught up in US politics right now. . . . I'm so wired that I feel like watching tv until we get election results Tuesday night (or later if the election is close). Now I know that that is dumb. . . . . And that the election win will not ride on my worries. It usually works out for the people in charge one way or another. I can better spend my time sleeping or doing errands --- anything for that matter.

You don't have to share. I can understand without understanding -- kwim?

M.