Feeling Helpless About Haiti

It's 5:30 a.m.  I've been up for the past hour and a half watching the coverage of the devastation in Haiti. 

What can I do?

I sent money.  I sent up prayers.  There has to be something more.

The mother, the woman, the fellow human being in me wants to organize things.  Watching the chaos in Port Au Prince is mind-boggling.  We are so spoiled in the States.  A fender-bender occurs here and an entire army of cars and trucks adorned with lights and sirens appears.  A massive earthquake has destroyed significant parts of Haiti and the signs of organized infrastructure are almost non-existent.

It's not that I don't think officials are setting up plans.  I know people from my own county dropped what they were doing to board planes and bring their skills to the island, but it seems like they need more. 

Who is running triage?  Who is taking care of the orphans?  Who is bringing water?  How will people eat?
I'm so grateful that it's not my job to provide answers to these questions, and yet I feel like I should be doing something.

I'm a photographer.  Should I be down there telling the story?

I'm a mother.  Should I be down there comforting children?

I have four working limbs.  Should I be down there moving debris?

What lesson am I teaching my children in all of this?  For this is a teachable moment.  Do I shake my head at the TV screen and comment on my sadness as we head out to some big box store to buy something we probably don't need? 

I have responsibilities here--my family, my job--but I have an overwhelming urge to find my way to Haiti to help.  I want my children to learn that joining a Facebook group isn't the way to make a difference.  I want them to grow into men who will offer their assistance when they see a fellow human in need. 

How am I modeling this by sitting here? 

I feel so helpless, and yet inspired when I see so many others wanting to help too.  

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Amie Adams lives in Springfield, VA with her three boys, husband, dog, cat and two hermit crabs (she's pretty sure they might have a partridge somewhere but they can't find the pear tree).  She is a political consultant and aspiring photographer when she's not writing on her personal blog MammaLoves.

Photo by @carelpedre.