Mwen regret sa

I hope Pea never fails to understand the true personal meaning of the word 'ruin.' 

I have a TV right above my desk at work, and most of the day we keep it tuned to a local all-news station.  It's on mute, but every now and then I look up to catch a glimpse of the latest current events.

Quite often today, when I glanced up, the news focused on the earthquake that rocked the tiny island nation of Haiti.  Several times, I noticed the headline that accompanied the coverage - Haiti in Ruins.

Haiti in Ruins. 

Think about that for a moment.  Think of all of the other references to the word ruin that you've heard in your life.  Certainly, if you've ever visited Pompeii or Rome, you'll understand that the term ruin has often been associated with centuries-old remnants of natural disasters and tourist attractions.  The ruins in these countries are historical; something you visit, walk through and experience as leisure, with little concern for the causes that led to their existence.

Now, there is an entire nation of people from our time that have lost a large part of their culture, their homes, and most importantly their loved ones.  To them, ruins aren't something you go out of your way to visit and experience... they are, in fact, just the opposite. 

Like most parents, ever since Pea was born I experience this type of current event with an entirely new point of view.  Now, instead of wondering about the material loss and rebuilding that Haitians will face in the months and years to come, I'm absolutely overcome with pain and sadness at the thought of Haitian parents who have lost their children, and Haitian children who are now left orphaned. 

Up until now, I've mainly applied the word ruin to physical objects and material possessions.  It is now abundantly clear to me that lives, in addition to things, can also be battered and ruined. 

In Haiti, and all over the world, there are millions of lives that are now left in ruins.  While we can all see the physical devastation they've experienced, and do our part to help them rise above their predicament, there is little to nothing we can do to help them come through the emotional devastation they've encountered at the loss of their homes, their lives and their loved ones. 

I'm sure none of you are visiting my personal blog to get the latest information on how to make a difference for Haitians, but I'll provide it here just the same.  Today, the Canadian government announced that it will match donations made by Canadians to any registered charity working to support relief efforts in Haiti, up to $50M. 

It is vitally important that we do what we can, as soon as we can, so that these funds become available as quickly as possible.  There are many charities - the Canadian Red Cross, UNICEF Canada, Médecins Sans Frontières Canada, World Vision and OXFAM Canada to name just a few - that are accepting donations.  You can find an exhaustive list of charities working to support Haiti relief efforts on the CBC's website, here.

We're not all in a position to donate money, and this is understandable.  While I'm not an overly religious fella, might I suggest prayer as a suitable alternative.  After all, there but for the grace of God...

When I got home from work today, Pea got a longer and stronger hug than she's used to... she didn't seem understand why, but she held on tight just the same.  Tonight, I count myself lucky to be able to hold her at all.

A tout ceux et celles qui souffrent tellement depuis le tremblement de terre en Haiti, je n'ai qu'a offrir mes sympathies et mes condoléances.  Mwen regret sa.

 
I may not know what I want my Pea to become, but I hope she never fails to understand the true personal meaning of the word 'ruin.'