Friday, December 05, 2008

Sad

It's always a little confronting when you realize you're in a little bubble of oblivion and security. Last night we had a great time at the JPR Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser, held at the Ashland Springs Hotel. We didn't bid on anything, but we had a lot of fun mingling with old and new friends - and eating more hazelnut cream puffs than any human being deserves. We could afford the entry tickets, we could afford the babysitter, and we have gainful employment and our health.

Meanwhile, 500,000 Americans were laid off last month, and Zimbabwe's political impasse has created 12,000 cases of Cholera with at least 600 deaths.

That's hard to stomach.

Peace,
Anjie

3 comments:

HopefulMama said...

I'm with you Anj. It's all hard to hear, necessary, but hard. Necessary to remind us how great we really have it and to be thankful; and, to remind us that much of the world is suffering so that we're prompted take a deeper look at how we can help, or pray, or even just make others aware.

Here is how I will start to help make others aware: December 10th is the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Your readers can check out more information here: http://www.everyhumanhasrights.org/every-human-has-rights

Anonymous said...

Anjie,
I had the same gut wrenching feeling while on our wonderful 'Mimi purchased' cruise to the Yucatan and the cabin tv announced that the devestating tsunami had hit and so many lives were taken. I was rivited to the tv and prayed intensely for those left behind - how would they survive without their loved ones, their fishing boats out to sea or a ways inland and without clean H2O and food?
Just didn't seem right to select any item on our dinner menu (or lunch or breakfast or that much needed snack) and double an item and then to leave on the plate what just didn't satisfy my taste buds at that moment - knowing the uneaten food would be trashed. I'd hoped some of the underpaid staff could make a 'snack' or 'meal' out of what I wasted - were they bold enough to stash some goodies for an aftershift treat? Probably with fear of losing their jobs.
And now cholera, etc., etc., etc!!!
Dear God, please surround the suffering humans with your arms of love and concern.
Mike & I plan to contribute to www.heifer.org/peace again as we've done before. That's the organization with which Wendy Peskin is intensely involved.
We can be the hands, feet, arms and heart of God here on earth as we reach out in love to the suffering.
Thanks for sharing this blog, Anjie.
God bless you and yours & you too, Karen.
This is certainly the time to share our wealth and selves to the unloved, unemployed, starving, deathly ill and many other types of needy people. Perhaps we can take our minds off of ouselves and our loved ones who aren't with such dire needs. Some small token of our love to our grandchildren and their folks but the rest of $ that we'd normally spend for family to be dispersed throughout the world where needs are really intense (including some folks here in the U.S. of A.).
Some folks are really hurting.
Love to all of our Ashland kin.
Lovingly,
JJJ, Mom, Grammy, etc.

Natalie N said...

That is tragic! It's humbling to think how blessed we are to live in this country. I feel sad at the same time for people who were born into such dire circumstances. What an eye opening night for you guys.