fragile

My dad dancing with me on our wedding day.

Kyle- when he was 2 at Christmas time.

These are a few photos Amanda sent this fall of her students. I am not sure of their names, but I thought pictures of a few faces would be helpful for your prayers.


I write this post today, with a heavy heart... and without adequate words to describe my feelings. I was reminded these past few days about how fragile life is, and it breaks my heart.

Amanda, my little sister, has experienced the traumatic earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti these past few days. We are all SO thankful that she is okay, but the event has torn the country into pieces. The orphanage that she is living at is okay, but there are 200 people there (95 babies) that have a limited supply of food and fuel, with all roads leading there destroyed. And much more devastating is the fact that many of the Haitian nannies that work there have lost their homes, husbands and kids to the earthquake. I cannot even begin to fathom what they are going through. Last night, the entire staff and all of the kids spent hours out in the driveway trying to stay away from the aftershock that was happening every 5-10 minutes. They hadn't eaten diner by midnight. The weeks to come are sure to be incredibly hard. Amanda had been teaching at a school nearby- closer to the epicenter of the earthquake. She has not heard from the other teachers or about her students. I cannot imagine what she is going through right now, worrying about her kids and their families. Having taught myself, if something happened to one of my students, I would have been devastated. It is hard to wrap my mind around this disaster. Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere... the nation that already suffered losses and damage from hurricanes last year... a country without the resources to rebuild homes, let alone rescue those that are trapped.

And, I just feel so helpless. From a distance, how do I help? How can I comfort my sister or help those families who have lost their homes and their loved ones. I am trying to get in touch with our church to see if we can do a collection for the orphanage or those in need in Haiti, but it doesn't seem like near enough. In the meantime, please pray for Amanda, her students, the kids in the orphanage and the staff. Pray hard. I can only hope that God uses his people to reach out and take care of these hurting people, in huge, abundant and drastic ways.

I also think of how fragile our health is. I think of my dad, who has always been the epitome of health. He is active and eats well and takes good care of himself. Why then... why the cancer? Why so young? Why did it spread so fast? I cannot imagine how hard it is to be by himself in Florida for 2 months, undergoing treatment. He is tired and fighting hard! But, he should be at home, with his 3 year old son and wife. Kyle needs him right now, to play with him, read to him and be there. It just makes me so sad. I feel helpless again. I wish so much that I could be there to keep him company or help in some way- something more significant and meaningful than a little care package or a phone call. Pray for dad too- that this radiation does its job- fully and perfectly and my dad can have his life back- so that dad can sail around the world with his family. I cannot wait for the day that dad can take Ryan, Coranelle, Christina, Kyle and me on a rafting trip down a river. I see how much I took those vacations for granted.

This morning, I took Coranelle to the zoo with a friend and her daughter. As I watched happy toddlers run around with their fathers, and little kids shrieking with excitement about the growling lions and jumping monkeys; I couldn't help but squeeze Coranelle a little harder than necessary. I am so thankful for my family, but life is so fragile. Nothing is certain and we have to truly cherish each other, our health and our many blessings. How often we take it all for granted.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34838824#34838342

Above is the link of the NBC interview about the earthquake with Dixie, the owner of the orphanage that Amanda works at.