Whenever there’s an earthquake, I wait for the newspaper story about the sound in the rubble
where the rescuers didn’t think there was any life left. They dig anyway, until they find a small child. Maybe his mother is waiting as they dig. Maybe she’s dead, her body protecting him from the crush of stone. But the child — there’s always one — is alive, and I focus on him, because thinking about what happened to his sister is too much. Thinking about the tens of thousands is too much. Thinking of bodies piled on the street is too much. I am looking for hope here, a miracle, so I search through the fine print. I wait for the child to move.
Added, 1.14, a link to this AP photo.
Yes, hope! I read another story today about a teen-ager they found. Those stories are getting fewer, but glad to read just one more.
Beautifully and tragically put. Such a sad circumstance but hope can arise.
I can’t put to words how this spoke to me. Thank you.
Thanks for that story, Kathy. Holding on to images like that.
Thanks for putting things in a perspective we can view and gain hope from. This morning I heard of a man, whose family survived, who spend all day at the hospital to comfort those who weren’t so lucky. I would like to think I would be that man. So far, mostly, he is feeding and comforting an 8 year old girl who lost her entire family. I’m already imagining that he adopts her …
Thanks for the thoughts, from both of you. Overwhelming, yes. That covers it.
Madelyn,
Such a beautifully written and moving reflection. Thank you. What happened in Haiti is overwhelming. I hope for some miracles too and some practical relief for the poorest nation in our hemisphere.
Thanks for stopping by my website and leaving a comment. Thanks for your blog today. I too focus on that child. To do otherwise is to succumb to those overwhelming other feelings. There has to be hope – always.