Pleased to meet Ya

Now it's time to say Hello to me and all my kin
I would like to thank you folks for kindly droppin' in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin' helpin' of our hospitality!
Hillbilly, that is, sit a spell, take your shoes off
Y'all come back now, ya hear?

--adapted from "The Beverly Hillbillies" by Paul Henning

Monday, March 15, 2010

Have a Heart

In 40 seconds time, at least 230,000 Haitians were killed on January 12th~one in every 50.
"I hear about the horrors the earthquake wrought. In the early days, it was utter pandemonium-everybody out on the lawn, IV-bags hanging from trees, wounded getting carried in on planks of plywood, some so badly injured that their limbs would fall off when you'd lift them..
...there were alot of amputations. Orthopedic surgeons were sawing limbs off some nights until 3 a.m.- an estimated 70 percent of surgical procedures were the removal of arms and legs. When I visit a post-op pediatric ward upstairs, six of the seven children I count are amputees, some of them double.
...Nearly two weeks after the earthquake, a baby with severe burns on all four limbs, screams like she is on fire as her bandages are removed and her wounds are cleansed. She's been kicked to three hospitals and has only been given Ibuprofen for pain. She repeatedly calls "mama, mama," but only her father is there. She is so upset, she begins vomiting. With no nurse near and nothing to wipe up a mess with, the befuddled father simply cups his hands in front of her, letting his terrified daughter heave into them...
The above excerpts were taken from an article, LOVE AMONG RUINS, at WeeklyStandard.com by Matt Labash.
My infant son was sound asleep as my husband read the above mentioned article (in it's entirety) to us during our family time a few days ago. After finishing the article, my husband knelt on the floor and prayed for the Haitians, and I couldn't help hugging my baby to my chest, and thinking "What if it was us?" (We currantly live in an earthquake danger zone. Besides being on the New Madrid fault line, the underground all around is us is nothing but mine tunnels. It could easily be us.) What if my baby lost an arm, had no pain killers, and no mommy to comfort him?

Please consider supporting
This is a collective of hundreds of etsy shops who have donated items to raise money for Haitian relief efforts. 100% of the procedes go to Doctors Without Borders. To date, the shop has raised more than $31,000...but we all know that there is much more to be raised. The etsy store didn't mention this, but I am positive Doctors without Borders is now serving in Chile as well.
The shop has items for all interests, all ages, and all price ranges. I saw items listed for less than $5.00 and some for over $100.00.
It's time for me to take a moment to hug my children...and pray together for the people of Haiti.

4 comments:

  1. Oh my, this brought the tears... you are so very blessed to have such a caring husband. Hearts for Haiti is a wonderful cause -- I've donated (and sold) there but need to do so again.

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  2. It hurts to hear about this. Thank you for sharing it. I have donated a couple of times to the Etsy store and will consider continuing to do so.

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  3. It is very sad to read. You should read the whole article. It is amazing how they lived...before the earthquake! We have it so good...

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  4. Thanks for sharing-so heartbreaking, and such a huge need in Haiti still. I've been helping with the Hearts for Haiti store-thanks for promoting us-and thus helping us reach more people in Haiti

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