Katrina... a name that now carries so much weight and meaning...images, words, silences, triumphs, failures, heroism, horror ...in the USA.
These are not stories about another country, another people, another place, but about us and what we are capable of as a human race in response to great pain and struggle...there is both hope and horror in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Dumbfounded, I have had little to say, much to think about, and been slow to write anything...
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has set up an excellent way to help, one of many. Our church, Crossroads UMC is a drop site for the items listed on the webpage, simple items really, urgent items...blankets, bottled water, health kits, flood buckets (specific items & instructions via website)
Anj has a remarkable list, and Dwight posted a link to Chris Seay's plea for help in Texas, along with an excellent downloadable video. Natala has ideas, inks and resources in the midst of her beautiful words & poetic reflections...
there are many more bloggers, voices and hands being raised in aid... too many to mention here...find one...do something...
it's been hard to know what to say, but i know there is so much to do...
Posted by: natala | September 06, 2005 at 11:41 PM
in these moments, i am reminded of the fact that a crisis of this magnitude can overwhelm us because there is so much to be done, and often times being overwhelmed can lead to paralysis. In these moments of knowing that i cannot do everything, i remember the words of a wise friend, that i can do something, and that is what i am called to do...not everything, but something...and this truth mobilizes me in the threat of being overwhelmed,
Posted by: susie albert miller | September 07, 2005 at 07:55 AM
Rich Swingle, actor and man of God from New York taught us at The Salvation Army Territorial School for Music and Gospel Arts how to pray using enacted prayer. We used this tool to pray for Katrina survivors, aid workers and governments when the news first penetrated the strange isolation surrounding all camping experiences. This past Sunday I used the same tool of enacted prayer in our miniscule congregation at Walker's Point, Muskoka. It brought alive the reality of the situation and the power of God to heal and comfort in traumatic situations. Amen
Posted by: Connie Knighton | September 12, 2005 at 01:32 AM