I've had a difficult time finding the words for this particular piece, but I shall try.
We Hickmans have issues as does every American family. Dealing with our children, paying the bills, doing what many Americans do everyday. It's all good, though. Great wife who is my best friend. Healthy children who don't get into trouble, by God's good grace.
I watched the news, of course, all day chronicling the tragedy of the Haitian earthquake where so many of our brothers and sisters have perished by the tens of thousands. So many missing. So many hurting. So many wondering what to do next. People who are afraid to sleep indoors for fear the structures might give way due to aftershocks or existing damage. People setting tires ablaze to illuminate the town of Mangine, some 35 miles from the flattened capital of Port Au Prince. Men searching for THEIR wives and children, praying for the best, dreading the worst.
But, it was when I went to our filtered water dispenser in our nice, warm kitchen, in our nice, safe house, that it hit me. It could all be blown apart in a heartbeat. We are, all of us, one disaster and a few seconds away from having to rethink all we know and all we cherish. What would the folks in Haiti, who already lived in abject poverty (most subsiding on less than $1.00 per day) due for a fresh drink of water and a warm bed in which to sleep tonight?
Even Haitian President Rene Preval, who's quarters and offices were leveled in the 7.0 monster quake, was forced into the fray. The temblor did not ask for credentials nor cared about one's station in life. The news will not get better in the coming days or weeks as the rubble is cleared and the countless victims are unearthed.
I pray for Haiti. I desire to help my neighbors. I thank God for my family. I hope tonight that you will do the same.
My Episcopal church home in Atlanta supports some 204 children in Haiti. Father Rob knows not of their fate, but he did offer this prayer today:
"May the souls of the departed rest in peace; may the souls of the grieving be comforted; may the souls of the living not be overcome by this tragedy; and, may our souls not be overcome by indifference. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.".
All I can add to that is amen...and, what can I do to help?
With over 30-years of award winning broadcast experience under my belt, I still wake up each day eager to work with new people and challenge myself professionally. My talents are diverse as a media trainer/coach, speaker, spokesperson, host, voice/over artist, narrator and consultant. But that’s not where they stop, that’s where they begin.
