As some of you know, I lost my father in May 2008 suddenly to a pulmonary embolism. In coming to terms with my grief, I've done a lot of crying, talking, and yes, blogging. Hearing the awful news late last night about the earthquake in Haiti, and this morning seeing such horrifying images on TV made my grief come bubbling right back up to the surface. These times... Dad's birthday, seeing my son play his clarinet, spending Christmas without him, and yes, witnessing others painful sudden separation from their loved ones always takes me by surprise, kicks me in the stomach and leaves me down for days.
Yet I feel so fortunate to be left standing and to have the rest of my life continues around me "normally". Such is not the case in Haiti. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like there.
Our family, at my oldest son's prompting, gave money to UNICEF this Christmas to help less fortunate children in other parts of the world. We let him pick the cause, and he chose to help pay for vaccinations. This morning I knew I wanted to make a donation, and seeing the urgent plea from UNICEF in my in-box after the usual school-day morning routine was done made it easy to give a donation. I don't have a lot to give, but if each of us gives a little, it'll add up to a lot. I thought I'd try to make it easy for anyone reading this to help. Here's a link to a few aid agencies:
UNICEF
American Red Cross
Mercy Corps
Thanks.
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