Perspective

Caden and I have been very sick this week with a nasty stomach bug. Caden came down with it Friday night and I started with it on Monday afternoon. After much rest and lots of fluids, we are finally on the mend. He's 100% back to his old self again and I'm slowly but surely getting my strength back. Jay has been amazing through everything, putting us first and ensuring that we had everything we needed. I'm a blessed woman.
I've pretty much been in bed since Monday and had heard very little about the devastation in Haiti until today. After reading many articles and seeing the heart wrenching photos, I am burdened for them and ashamed for everything I've ever complained about. It is moments in history such as these that remind all of us how lucky we are.
I've often complained about the American Health care system because I have had the privilege of witnessing a stronger and more accessible one...and although I believe this is still an issue in and of itself, I look back over my week and shutter in complete humility and thankfulness for where I find myself. This is not a post about the health care bill, so if commenting please refrain from going there. This is a post about gaining perspective and acting on it.
When my son became dehydrated, we took him to a clean emergency room where he was given a sterilized IV and even a sticker to make his procedure more tolerable. When I was worried about my unborn child in the midst of this stomach virus, I was able to call a nurse and receive a prescription to help me rest better and recover faster. I have been able to lie in my comfortable bed, in my well insulated room with a bottle of gatorade and a cell phone by my side should I need to call someone for help. We have been able to wash our soiled clothes in steaming hot water in a washing machine, right inside of our apartment. We have had access to clean water. We not only have what we need but comforts that we want. I could go on and on but you get the picture...
We are blessed. We are blessed beyond measure...and I for one need to publicly declare how sorry I am for the things I've made important...the things I consider burdens that are simply hiccups in the road of life.
I have been trying to imagine feeling as sick as I have felt this week while living amongst the devastation in Haiti. Imagine being pregnant in that environment? Imagine being an asthmatic? Imagine having something as simple as an infected wisdom tooth or as devastating as cancer?
One of the photos I witnessed was of an elderly woman who has a serious head wound. She was lying in the dirt in a make shift clinic where panicked and outnumbered medical personnel were trying desperately to get from one victim to another. I could be one of them tonight. You could be one of them tonight.
Aside from being ill, imagine losing everyone you loved in a split second...waking up to a confusing and terrifying earth quake...watching the walls collapse and crush your spouse, your children, your family, your neighbours...Hell is not just some distant place with a Lake of Fire...it's right here and now...and this is one of those moments where God has called us to live out His will 'on earth as it is in Heaven.' We can bring Heaven to earth by responding to our brothers and sisters in Haiti, right now.
So in the midst of whatever it is you are facing, remember those people and what they are going through...and find a way to help.
You can donate by using you cell phone. Just text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross's Haiti Relief effort.
You can also donate $10 to The Salvation Army in the same manner by texting "HAITI" to 52000.
If you don't have text messaging, would like to give more than $10 or just prefer to donate online, click here Or here
By all means, pray...nothing is more powerful than that...but also act.