I don't watch the news. Really. I blame it on being pregnant on September 11, 2001 and not being able to face the devastation and sadness that tragedy caused. I was about to bring my second child into a world that was falling apart at the seams. Fast forward a little more than eight years and I am finding it very hard to watch the news about Haiti. It breaks my heart. So many people are dead and hurting and I feel so helpless. The news about the children is especially hard to hear. I can't even imagine what I would do if my own child were in that situation.
A woman that I knew in college has a child that is stuck in Haiti. Through the wonders of facebook, I reconnected with her last year and saw photos of her with her darling son when she visited him in Haiti this summer. She and her husband were interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN Friday. They are actively working towards ensuring safety for Haitian orphans. Please take a moment to watch their interview and to read their thoughts.
My friends' child is not the only one in need. There are numbers of children in Haiti who are without family. Many of
them were in the process of being adopted by families abroad when the
earthquake struck. All of them are in dire need of support. Please
write your congress people asking them to grant the necessary passports
and visas to those children whose adoption is already in process. You
can find out who your representatives are and how to reach them here.
Melissa's family has ties in Haiti. She shared some good, pertinent links on her site. I'll repeat them here:
– Partners In Health Updates
– The BRESMA girls and what's happening at their orphanage
– Heartline blog
I know that this post is a little out of the ordinary for me. Thank you for taking the time to read.
thanks for the wonderful comments! I really have been worried about the Haitiian orphans… I adopted both of my children and can’t imagine the hopelessness that these parents feel. Thank you for the links too, as I’ve been wondering how to help those children.
erin, thank you for this post! i’ve been pouring through the posts from the links you attached. my heart is broken. i can’t watch the news either– really have never been able to handle it. so i rely heavily on reading what i can and my heart is just as devestated as it would be if i were watching… thankfully the blogs/websites seem to be more genuine and less sensational… but the reality is that it’s BAD really BAD and i’m praying for the precious grief-stricken people of haiti… lord jesus, come quickly and have mercy on them.
Here in Seattle, we’ve got an inspirational story. Sad, but truly bittersweet. The young women who parished in the earthquake this week kept a blog about her year of service there. The article about her is here.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010808037_molly16m.html
her blog is http://www.mollyinhaiti.blogspot.com and it is a beautiful blog about all this young girl accomplished in her time in Haiti, voluteering at an orphanage there.
I have been following the Livesay blog. They are incredible people who tell it like it is, and are still finding hope amidst such devastating sadness. I pray your friend and her son are reunited soon. Thanks for the other links.
Please tell Jean and Ross that I am holding Alexander and the other children close in my heart, hoping somehow someone can find a way for them to be evacuated. Jean and Ross represent the best of adoptive parents – those who love and care for their child more than themselves – that’s what makes anyone a *real* parent, just as Alexander’s mother did when she chose to seek a more hopeful future for him than she could provide. Blessings and hope to them, and to the beautiful children and people of Haiti.
Thank you for taking the time to write it!
I’m a mother of 3 I can’t imagine such situation, it’s really terrible.
I’ll take the time to follow your links, thank you.
great post, erin. it’s true: every little bit helps!
my church partners with the episcopal orphanage in p-a-p. We were overjoyed to learn that the children were all safe. Their school was destroyed, but their lives were spared. Our personal donation went directly to them.
I don’t (can’t) watch the news, either.
I have been lurking here for awhile now, and just want to say thank you for writing this. My husband and I are part of the adoptive community (we have a son adopted from Liberia) and know many people in the process of adopting from Haiti as well and I can imagine the helplessness they are feeling right now. I hope that adoptions will be expedited for the sake of the children. Thanks again for the links you posted!
As sponsors of child in Haiti through World Vision, we have been so worried and personally touched by this terrible event. Of course, we are very saddened and concerned about all the inhabitants of Haiti, and we’re sending money their way (through World Vision) as well as our heartfelt prayers.
I love the way the blog crafting community has taken such immediate action in helping. The world is full of good people, and you’re one of them.
Blessings,
G
P. S. I’m a non news watcher too.
Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone involved in this crisis, not only those who have lost everything, but those who have gone to help. I know a big team from the UK are there right now with thier sniffer dogs to track down buried people.
I pray for everyone and we are all doing our bit no matter how small. I will be baking cookies/cupcakes this week to sell at school and all money rasied will be donated. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing this week take a few minutes to do something for some-one else.
I have found myself trying to avoid the situation, but we would like to help out. Thanks so much for the links and the care. It all makes a difference!
i gave birth on september 11, 2001 – and i remember sitting in my hospital room looking out the window and just wondering what sort of life my child would have in this tumultuous world…..i felt so safe and insulated inside that hospital, i was little scared to venture to the outside world…..
one thing i love about crafty bloggers is that they all seem ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help. it kind of restores my faith in humankind 🙂
thanks for the links – it’s nice to find out how to help.
l
x
it is absolutely the worst.
thanks for the links…
since i don’t watch the news either, i need every bit of news from the computer….and my bloggy friends! 🙂
keeping alexander and all those other sweet faces in my thoughts and prayers.
I appreciate your blog post. It’s hard to know where to turn, how to help. Of course the big organizations need our dollars and are having a huge impact but there’s a longing in my heart for a more personal, tangible, bring it down to a size I can (maybe) fathom connection, and your links provide that. Love the Craft Hope for Haiti link, too, and have passed it along. 🙂
your post was perfect for those of us looking for a trusted way to help!
we’ll continue praying!
I was (fairly newly) pregnant with my first baby when 9/11 happened, and I have been a news avoider since then, too — for all the reasons you have described.
In fact, I didn’t hear about the Haiti earthquake until the day after it had happened.
Anyway, thank you for spreading this information. It’s so very important.
I was 6 months pregnant with my eldest when 9/11 happened, and I remember being glued to the tv all day, worrying so much about what kind of world I was bringing my son into. I have another son aged 2 now and watching the footage of the Haiti disaster really brings it home what a devastating situation this is. I have done all I can to help, because I would want to know that someone was caring for my children if they were left all alone in that kind of unthinkable situation.
I, too, was pregnant on 9/11 and don’t watch the news anymore either. The sadness of it was overwhelming. Thank you for posting these helpful and thoughtful links.
Very inspiring.