Oct. 28th, 2012: No person is an island.

Our 'rambling' from Fr. Reiser last night reminded us that no person is an island. We need one another to get through life and will all experience moments of dependence. "What do you have that you have not received and if you have received it, why do you glory as if you have received it not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7

It was fitting for me as I spent my day struggling with a case of "Haitian Happiness" (aka food poisoning) and had to depend on my team for all things. As Fr. Reiser gently reminded me, my moments of discomfort are nothing compared to a lifetime of discomfort faced by too many Haitians.

Fr. Reiser wrote, "Can you imagine living in grinding poverty day after day, facing the daily menu of rice with bean sauce on top of it, without any hope for change or a different menu? Living where sanitation is often nearly unheard of and having water means carrying it in five-gallon pails? A poverty with no hope of alleviation and a future that holds nothing but the same grinding sufferings of today?"

And in spite of this, as our team reflected last night, the Haitians persevere. After earthquake, flood, medical catastrophes, and food and water shortages, they dust themselves off, praise God to be alive, and continue to live in the moment.

We have so much to learn from the Haitians.

Peace,
Joyce