I’ve retreated to my house in the Berkshires to do some work on a book, and I’m writing this blog from my aforementioned favorite coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds.
I usually come to the Berkshires for solitude, an escape from the daily world. But I cannot purge from my mind the hellish images coming out of Haiti.
There is no escaping the reality of human suffering on that scale. Every so often I see something I recognize and time seems to contract. Haiti is only about an hour from Miami or New Orleans. That one of the poorest places on earth exists within the long shadow of our affluence is disturbing.
Then I see rescuers working with sniffer dogs and it nearly makes me cry when one of the dogs locates a trapped little girl who is subsequently rescued. How incredible this alliance of man and dog. During the search for bodies in the toxic rubble of the World Trade Center the sniffer dogs grew increasingly despondent at the lack of survivors. Eventually volunteers had to crawl into the rubble so the dogs could “find” them in order that the dogs would not succumb to despair.
This weekend will be the hardest period for Haitians. Conditions are worsening and relief is still just a trickle due to nightmarish logistical obstacles. We must keep praying, praying, praying.
Post a prayer for the victims and their loved ones and find out how you can help with disaster relief through these organizations.
Edward Grinnan is Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of GUIDEPOSTS Publications.
