Haiti

I have to say, the situation in Haiti and, more specifically, people's response to it, has really said something to me. I have heard over and over again on the news today that donations have been so fast in coming that major aid organizations working in Canada haven't been able to handle the volume of calls and of internet traffic on websites. As I was driving home, I couldn't help but think about the fact that, while we talk about the world as being such a cold and callous place, most people really do want to help. There is an essential goodness in most people when we are touched. God created us to be in relationship with other people and to live WITH others. The frantic pace of life separates us from everyone else and makes it too easy to forget about the world around us and more particularly, the people whose lives we touch every day. No wonder it feels good to give - it's hard work to function in that cold way and to be so detached all the time and there are things we miss when we turn off that way. When we do help, we turn off the work of detaching and we can enjoy the blessings God has offered us through relationship, even if the person we are touching is far away and is someone we may never meet.

If only we could keep this spirit of generosity and this willingness to give and sacrifice for others all the time, I think we would discover a peace and contentment that is absent in so many of our lives. I hope to incorporate this as a more regular focus of my life.