The Day the Earth Shook -- Remembering

We were not here in Haiti when the earth shook.  We were in Texas totally oblivious that this tiny third world country with all its poverty and orphans existed.  We had no idea that an island nation of beautiful, strong people sat so close to America's shore.

For days I sat in my favorite rocking chair doing something completely out of character for me...watching the news.  My kids would run in and out of the room, and I remember wondering if they should be seeing the news coverage.  I wasn't sure.

For weeks and months after this day I'd wake up in the middle of the night and find my husband passed out on the couch in front of his laptop.  Stories of Haiti...more news...documentaries...long articles about Haiti's history...Aaron would fall asleep learning about this new place that wasn't new at all.  His wife and his friends wondered why Haiti was all Aaron could think about...and talk about.  So out of character for him as well.

Today we will remember this day with our friends here in Haiti.  We will hurt for this nation and pray that God would bring healing and restoration.

As I've driven these roads over and over, passing fallen buildings, I have often sighed...alone in the vehicle...just me and Jesus.  In those quiet places I've wondered what it must be like for those who lived here on this day, one year ago.

When my uncle died, one of the hardest things for my aunt to do was go through his closet or even go in it.  I'm not sure why clothes hold so many memories, but they do, don't they?

For some reason the thoughts of my aunt's grief over my uncle's closet are interwoven in my mind with the grief of the Haitian people.  Minds are strange, aren't they?  The earth shook a year ago but many of the collapsed buildings still sit on the roads...bodies still under them.  Even the homes and buildings that are still standing have cracks in their walls.  For those that live here there seems to be no escaping the memories of this day.  The landscape bares the scars.  Haiti is like the closet that can't be packed up and put away.  The memories are on full display, and the Haitian people walk through that closet every single day.

What grief.

How our hearts hurt for them.  Our souls look to heaven for help and new mercies.

Tara posted her recap of the days following the earthquake.  Moving and worth reading. 

Aaron is downtown this morning listening to Mark Driscoll speak.  Tonight we'll pray and worship with our Heartline family.  Soso, the lady who works for us told me yesterday that she was going to pray all day today for Haiti and the families of the ones who lost loved ones.  Let's join her, okay?