Last night I found a field in which to sit with a view of the ocean and the city of Port-au-Prince in the background. There were patchy areas of the city, some with lights on, others dark and large billows of smoke rising from all over. Sometimes the wind would blow bringing smells of the destruction. From a distance, the view of the sea and mountains were beautiful, but the smells and smoke would throw me back into it all and remind me where I was and what I was seeing.
I read yesterday that the death toll could be at 200,000. I could not help but realize I was looking at a graveyard. As I was touring the city and assessing the damage, I was taken to a 7-story school. I climbed on top of the rubble, located in downtown Port-au-Prince, and I quickly realized that I was standing on top of 7 stories that had been compacted into about 12 feet. There was a crushed globe and homework tossed to the wind with little 1-inch by 1-inch photos of little boys and girls stapled to it. There were crushed desks from the classrooms, tattered clothing strewn about and the smell of all of the bodies still trapped under the rubble.
As I sat and reflected on the day, I could not make sense out of much. I could not find purpose in all of this destruction, even though we try to find and embrace the silver lining. All I could come away with is to love and cherish every moment of every day with the ones you love. There is no promise of tomorrow here. Really, I know that sounds trite, but it’s true. You just never know. Spend life investing in the things that really matter. Yes, life ebbs and flows for all of us. We have good days, bad days, and horrific days. But, if you are lucky enough to have friends, to have family to have someone to love, appreciate every moment you have with them. That, I believe, is what makes life beautiful. To be present, to feel alive, to know you are breathing. Now, that’s what matters.
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