First Hand Stories from Haiti

My brother is a Chaplain with the U.S. Navy, currently assigned to the Coast Guard. He has been deployed to Haiti to help with the relief efforts there. What follows is a glimpse of what is happening there from his eyes; A view that most likely will never be told in the media. This is directly from one of his emails to my sister-in-law:

"It may seem small in comparison but our little clinic has evacuated over 200 people. I can’t tell you the number of lives that have probably been saved because of the efforts of our folks here. Our Coast Guard helicopters pack in as many people as they can, sometimes seven or eight or more people. What they can’t fit in a seat or on a stretcher, they put in their laps.

These people are so resilient. For years they have been subjected to whatever comes their way, either man made or nature related and they survive. I watched little children with sever wounds be worked on with no pain medicine or anesthesia and not even whimper. One lady with a severe head trauma, along with multiple other wounds, have her scalp opened up and cleaned of gang green, she never flinched, and then when it was all done she got up and walked out of the clinic! They are grateful for Tylenol…something we take everyday. It is absolutely amazing.

They are so open to prayer and a kind smile or a look of compassion. While most of our people wore a mask I couldn’t bring myself to wear one most of the time because I wanted them to see my face and know that I hurt with them and cared about them. One boy about 8 or 9 came in with a bad head wound; when they were done working on him they asked who brought him in. He said no one…his parents were killed when his house collapsed. He sat on the steps for two days, I don’t know what happened to him after that. I can only pray a relative found him and took him in. An 85 year old woman was carried in over the shoulders of a 15 year old kid. When we asked what happened he said the nursing home she was in collapsed…she was the only survivor. He just found her and brought her in. I didn’t think she was going to make it. As I prayer over her I asked God that if he were to take her to do it quickly, but if not to begin restoring her health. Three days later we were able to medivac her. Part of me couldn’t believe she lived the other part just stood in amazement at God’s faithfulness.

One more I will tell you about. A beautiful young woman in her early 20’s was brought in with multiple injuries. She had with her a handsome well built man who looked to be slightly older then her. After she was treated I watched for three days how this man sat with her, laid her head in his lap, helped her move around, find her food. His gentle care for her was incredible to watch. I eventually made it over to them and offered to pray for her…they were excited about this idea. I assumed this was his wife so I asked him if I could pray for his wife and he said “no, no, this is my daughter.” I was moved to tears at that point as I made the connection. The love of a father has no limits, not age, not injury, not circumstances…"

Take a moment and think about it how much more does our Heavenly Father do this for us. Let's not take it for granted?

Just what has happened today...

Teacher's...are they real?

So my husband drops me off at the grocery store and all of a sudden I hear "Mrs. Hughes!" I turn around and it's a student of mine from last year. She said to me "I can't believe that I saw my 5th grade teacher in the grocery store of all places!" I truly wonder where my students think I get my groceries...the moon?

Snow day...I would rather be at work.

I can't believe it but I would rather be at work than sitting at home for a snow day. My husband thinks I am crazy for complaining about it. However, he has been home all week due to the snow and nothing has gotten done around the house. So yes, I would rather face my 23 students then doing stuff around the house that should have been done.

All The World's a Stage by William Shakespeare

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

New Year's Resolutions

2009 has gone by way to fast. I'm not finished with everything I even started so now it carries into the new year. In some ways this is good, i.e. we're working on having a baby. But in some ways I wish I would have finished organizing our home office, down sizing the boxes in the garage so someone can actually get in and out of the passenger side of my car while still inside the garage, cleaning out the freezer (I'm a little scared of what I might find), updating my classroom website, and so much more! Oh well, I guess these things now become my New Year's resolutions along with spending more time with family and friends.