Days of Beauty and Despair

I've been in a bit of a block knowing what to write these last days. The domestic activities of last week, when Scott and I stayed up past 1 a.m. every night painting and working on our home, and the busyness of work seem so inconsequential when compared to what my countrymen and women are experiencing on the Gulf Coast.

Even mine and Scott's fifth wedding anniversary, which we celebrated last Friday, loses a great portion of its joyfulness in the shadow of all that's befallen our nation since last weekend.

The weather here in Michigan has turned just lovely. And at any other time I would feel my heart soar at its beauty. Instead, I can't separate myself from television news accounts and, because I don't have access to TV at work, online reporting from The Washington Post and others. Surely the pictures are too horrible to be real and the stories too unbelievable to be true; yet I know that's not the case.

So when my feelings of sadness seem overwhelming, I remind myself how thankful I am that my sister Becky was able to move home from Baton Rouge a week before the storm hit -- a coincidence considering no one knew the storm was going to hit. I'm quietly grateful that she is home safely with us when so many others suffer greatly.

Donating seems insufficient an effort, but it's all I can do at this point to help. I hope you'll join me. I support the efforts of World Vision, but there are so many other worthy agencies giving aid.