lend a hand

i spent a lot of this holiday weekend volunteering. i thought i would just be giving of my time. but it turned out to be so very much more than that. i gave more of myself than i thought possible, really. my time, my heart, my soul, my every emotion, my tears...my shoulder. these people...these men, women, and children...were unbelievable. Resilient. Stoic. heartbroken. oh...i was so moved.

i started saturday at a medical clinic. we saw a two week old baby with a very high fever, diarrhea, you name it...poor baby. she's in the hospital now. i'm going to see her today. we saw person after person after person that didn't have their meds...along with cuts, bruises, more than a few black eyes...and such sadness. so very much sadness.

then saturday evening i was at a church that opened their family life center to serve as a shelter. we accepted busses full of refugees from the superdome. first, let me say that i have never smelled anything like that in my medical career...i thought i had seen it and smelled it all. boy, was i wrong. the majority of them are shell-shocked, some staring off into space, some weeping...some hugging us...and i tell you i received more 'bless yous' than when i sneeze in church! so many have been separated from their loved ones, craving any piece of information that you can give them. it just broke my heart. and the children? i can't go there...

now i'm going to get on my soapbox for a second. i have read and watched and heard so many people pointing fingers, shifting blame, bitching, complaining...and i've had enough. we can't go back and fix it now. but we can move ahead and let the axes fall where they may. instead, expend your energy getting out and doing something - ANYTHING - for these people who need our help and support so desperately. show your disdain for all those involved at the polls. show your support for the people in the shelters, in the churches, anywhere you can find them. and take some donations to your local animal shelter, as well. people weren't the only ones displaced.