One year ago I met my dear friend Christina. The internet and scrapbooking brought us together on an outing to Florida with DesignerDigitals. We roomed together in what I labeled "The International Room". Melanie and Sarah from England, Me from the US, and Christina from Haiti. We stayed up late at night discussing her country and her background and all of the history I never learned in American text books. I was embarrassed about my lack of knowledge and heartbroken to hear the difficulties her country has struggled with.
Yesterday I drove home to the news of the earthquake in her home town. Only driving in traffic, with no way to pull over, kept my tears away.
Today, I can't hold them back.
She has been in contact via Facebook and emails. She and her family are safe. They are among the lucky ones. Her country is devastated. They need help. Help of a magnitude I believe most of us cannot fathom.
At this point, money is the best choice.
Under a U.S. State Department program, individuals with U.S. cell phones can donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting "Haiti". This is real.
You can also donate directly on the RedCross website.
I did not take a photo with my "real" camera today. I couldn't.
I used my iphone to capture the sky out of a dirty window where I was working. I needed to see light today. I needed to know there is sunshine in the world.
You can see beautiful photos of Christina's sunshine filled life in Haiti, prior to yesterday's disaster, in her gallery at DesignerDigitals.
************************
Here is an excellent post by Chris Sacca on even more ways to help and understand Haiti.
Unitl this photo, I had not realized just how much their eyes are alike.
And Lainie was completely right today when she told Ian, "you are getting big!"