indigestion

So I've had a few days to digest the news of the crisis on the Gulf Coast, and it has left me with a hole in the pit of my stomach.

My friend Joyce says...one person at a time. Do one thing - don't look at the immensity. This has been difficult for me. I am overwhelmed. Tears well in my eyes, threatening to overflow every minute, and I hold them back and try to be positive, to know that there is purpose in this crisis. I do not ask the big question - what is the big purpose? But instead, what is the purpose in this for me?

As yet, this question has not been answered, and I wait to the hum of the television to find it.

What I notice most is the ever-growing gulf between the haves and the have nots. The detiorating social structure of our country and indeed the world. Those with means and money were saved from death and starvation. Those without were left behind. There is no malice in this, but the grim reality that we need to start taking care of one another. That there are those who need help everyday, those we choose not to see.

I am seeing you now...and in your struggle you have changed me. You are in my city, my town. You struggle to feed you babies. You struggle to find work, a vehicle to get you there, and you are angry, and are gaining strength like Katrina. When I think money is tight, I will think of you and know that I have more than I need and enough to share.

While a disaster like this brings the issue to the forefront - it is a symptom of an everygrowing disease. Perhaps the immensity of this is key to finding a cure.