Finding My Voice

It’s been awhile since I sat down to write a post. Stuff like tax preparation, and a zillion other things I decided were more important than blogging (silly me) kept me from writing. Well, no more excuses. Here I am again.

Today I’m sitting in my home office with a ceramic heater at my knees, huddled in a turtleneck trying to stay warm. According to my husband, the barometric pressure is supposed to be lower than it’s ever been which is probably why my arthritic joints are so achy.
It’s been raining, windy and cold for days -- it seems like weeks -- here in sunny northern California. Four storms all stacked up in a pretty little row, waiting to jump on land and feed the earth.

Now, I love the rain, and the thunder, and even the lightning. Ok, even those freezing cold little bits of hail made me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a long time; I’m happy to report it was so small that no damage was done to my car. When we lived in New Mexico, I reveled in the daily afternoon autumn thunderstorms that swept across our four acre property outside Lamy. I even dared to go outside and stand under our tin-roofed porch, kind of daring the lightning to strike me. Of course, it never did so I am here now to merely remember that incredible feeling of aliveness, and power and vulnerability that overcame me during these storms.

I’ve found that the stuff nature has thrown at me so far in my life has been bearable and even exhilarating. I do not know how I would respond to a natural disaster as devastating as the one to hit Haiti. I watch news accounts, see the unbearable suffering and feel ashamed that I have complained about our home and it’s “defects”, or how food wasn’t cooked the way I wanted it so I sent it back. Or how incredibly ungrateful I can be when things aren’t going my way. Or how my dog eats better than the Haitians. I feel ashamed.

We donated money to AmeriCares and that helped my state of mind - a little bit - but there is so much more that needs to be done. Several of the people who send me email newsletters included the following links in them so I would have the opportunity to give to the Haitian people. I include them, below, so you can also have the opportunity to give if your heart is touched as mine was.

Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing had this to say in his newsletter:

“I don't know about you, but with the earthquake in Hatiti
I found myself glued to the television and feeling rather helpless
in the face of all that devastation.

It's really hard to comprehend, not just that tens of thousands
have lost their lives, but that the living have virtually lost their
whole city. It will literally take generations to rebuild.

It kind of puts our small problems in perspective.

And it hopefully brings up the question, "What can I do?"

The answer is that you can make a donation. Perhaps you can do
more, but every single person can, at the very least, make a
donation that will go directly to aid in Haiti.

My wife and I were on the verge of buying a buying a fireplace
heater for our living room. I told my wife that we could do without
it this winter and donate that money instead.

So, that's what we did. And I urge you to do what you can.

Below are links to a number of different trusted organizations that
will make sure your donation gets to Haiti and make a difference.
And even a small donation can help. I read yesterday that over
$50 Million has already been raised from small $5 to $10 donations
through cell phones and social media.

Here's a number of links that you can be assured will get your
money to Haiti. And, of course, fell free to donate to any other
reputable aid organization.”

Care
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=N.Jja&m=1ary0h20yaOQIo&b=NLOAGsZuHufet.QZmYsV1g

Habitat for Humanity
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=N.Jja&m=1ary0h20yaOQIo&b=xW7fDYytLBP2eHlYYjvKlQ

World Concern
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=N.Jja&m=1ary0h20yaOQIo&b=oPNPDXDVljHdct4tpQiU4w

AmeriCares
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=N.Jja&m=1ary0h20yaOQIo&b=iQjZnu7O5g2d5QXFWaRT3A

Avavaz
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=N.Jja&m=1ary0h20yaOQIo&b=O7q13ME4iy9dlO4xRgbqEA

Robert is someone I trust and whose integrity is without question. I couldn’t have said it better, and I am happy to pass this along as he requested.

Look around you, be grateful for what you have, and see what is possible for you to share.