The lovely ladies of Owning Pink have given me the great honor of featuring one of my blog posts as their Mojo Monday exercise: finding the bright spots in our lives and replicating the heck out of them! Have a peek here.
Day: February 1, 2010
Step 32: The Worth of Abundance
“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” ~ Thomas Fuller
A few nights ago I met with members of the organization Healing Haiti. The organization is new, less than a year old, and prior to the earthquake they developed a business called Print for Change that donates 50% of its profit to help Haiti. The earthquake has now considerably upped the ante of their work. The need is greater than ever, the situation even more dire than when the organization first formed.
We discussed the immediate needs of the organization and the people of Haiti. In a crisis, it’s the basics that are most sought after. Prior to the earthquake, Haitians would stand in line for hours to get access to a bit of water. Now, those lines are hard to even find. I tried to put myself in that situation. In my warm apartment with all the food and water I could ever want, my family and friends happy and healthy, a job, and the creature comforts afforded to a lifestyle of few wants, I couldn’t even imagine the despair brought on by living in rubble, no food, no water, having lost my family and my friends, and seeing no hope in sight. I understand the need to dig down deep, and to have faith in our darkest hour. But what if we can’t even see an end to the darkness? What do we do then?
I can usually reason my way out of just about anything. This conundrum stumps me. I’ve had many hard times in my life, and despite any kind of hardship, I always had hope. There seemed to always be some help available somewhere. Despite my search for hope everyday, I still don’t fully comprehend its worth, perhaps because I’ve never truly been without access to it. How can we fully appreciate something’s worth until it’s gone?
I’d love to believe that we don’t need a burning platform to fully grasp the meaning of gratitude. I’m just not sure we’re wired for that without examples like Haiti. It’s important for Haiti, and for our own personal growth, too, that we not turn our eyes and heart from their need now. We need the lessons of their struggle as much as they need our help.
You can follow the work of Healing Haiti at their blog: http://healing-haiti.blogspot.com/
Christa Avampato 