Archive for January, 2010
Haiti and Holding a Child
My twelve-year-old daughter Tiffany sat upon a swing as she held the little Haitian girl. We were there together volunteering at an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. That was over ten years ago, but when I see or hear the word Haiti my mind goes back to that moment when Tiffany held that little girl with such love. They weren’t posing for the picture; they were just living life together. The one, a healthy red head with parents who would be considered rich. The other, a girl with no parents and living in poverty with AIDS. Her future was not looking good. But sometimes we hold someone in our arms because it’s the right thing to do, and because we love. We are called to live life together in good times and bad times.
Haiti’s future has rarely looked bright. And some would argue that no matter how much money and effort goes into Haiti it won’t create a sustainable future. That might be true, but I believe we are called to live life together and hold those in need. In the grand scheme of things I’m not sure that our time in Haiti made much of a difference, but I do know that my daughter and I are better people for it.
Post Script: The little girl was finally adopted by an American family after a long wait. Through the miracle of American medicines she has a bright future.
