New Orleans has a centuries old connection with Haiti.
So watching the suffering strikes deep in our hearts.
There are many Haitians living in New Orleans.
One of them is our friend and our tango student. Last week he came to class bringing some photos he wanted to show us.
He brought photos of the happy times he had in Haiti. He wanted to show us that something beautiful once existed where all is now destroyed.
I was very touched by this.
So I did a little search for images of Haiti before the earthquake.
True it's a country of contrasts, and a place that has had it's fair share of bad luck with hurricanes and mudslides.
The people are beautiful, and they are fighters.
And the road ahead is the hardest one yet.
The whole world is responding.
We humans are good and kind and concerned.
So as you look at these pretty pictures of Haiti, I hope you enjoy them.
If you cannot go there to help, or cannot afford to make a donation to help, send them a little good wish, a little prayer.
Every region has it's impending hazards, a potential "big one" of some kind.
You never know when your world will be turned upside down.
You never know what twists and turns, and trials and tribulations will come your way.
It was Haiti today, it could be one of us tomorrow.
So embrace someone or something you care for. Enjoy the relative calm of your everyday life.
Be kind if you can. To yourself, and to others.
We are all the same in the way we feel happiness and sadness.
We are all the same in the way we deal with crisis.
We help one another. It's our nature.
In New Orleans we sometimes shake our head and say "It ain't dere no more".
In New Orleans sometimes we laugh and say, "It ain't dere no more".
We have had so many wonderful people come to help us in New Orleans, and so many people helped us in their hometowns and cities.
This outreach and caring has done more for us than you can possibly realize.
Five years and counting and the scars are fading, and hearts are healing.
Five years later we are not always waiting for the other shoe to drop. At least not all of the time.
Five years later we are at a beginning we can wrap our minds around.
I wish it were five years later for the people in Haiti.
Happy Weekend!
PS If you'd like to see another beautiful post about Haiti, go to the blog Soodie Beasley.
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