HomeHomeJanuary 2005
Answered Prayers
A Personal Wake-up Call
Shortly before Christmas, a day after a winter ice storm, I sat aboard a plane, fuming because my flight was delayed. The plane was late arriving from New York, and then the passengers had to wait for the flight crew, who were late arriving at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on another flight. Once aboard and ready to go, we had to await the "de-icing" procedure before we could take off for Omaha. What was supposed to be a quick one-hour flight was turning into a three-hour delay.
When we finally arrived safely in Omaha, my ever-patient cousin greeted me, and I went into overdrive with my bitching. She had to wait for hours too, and, then, had to pay an exorbitant parking fee as we left the airport. I was angered by the inconvenience that we experienced, thanks to that damned airline! How dare they put us through that delay!
Later, at my cousin’s home, I came upon a copy of Guideposts magazine, which featured a charming article by contributing editor Karen Barber about prayer and knowing where to look for the results. After reading this, I felt embarrassed about my profound lack of gratitude.
Ms. Barber’s article was a mini wake-up call, and a reminder to savor the moment and forget the small inconveniences. For me personally, it was also a reminder of how someone else’s words can inspire and help us to see what really matters in life.
How lucky I was to be able to spend Christmas with my dear cousin and her family. How lucky that the plane from New York had arrived at MSP safely, as did the flight crew. How lucky that the plane was "de-iced" to make sure that we would take off with no problem. How lucky that we arrived safely in Omaha, with no problems whatsoever, save for the delay.
How often do we forget that our prayers are already answered just by getting safely to our destinations? In our harried lives, we forget just how lucky we are until something happens to upset the status quo.
Oftentimes, we neglect being thankful for all we’ve got --- until we get the phone call about a loved one’s terminal illness, or we get the sad news that our close friend has been in a life-changing accident, or we get the dreaded "pink slip" from our employer. When the bottom drops out of our lives, we fully realize how short and fragile life is---and at any time, without warning, our lives can turn on a dime. Most of the time, we’re on "autopilot" as we rush through life, expecting that everything will run smoothly--until the day that Misfortune arrives on our front doorstep.
A Global Wake-Up Call
The day after Christmas, all of us received a spiritual wake-up call following the news of the deadly tsunami in Asia and Africa. The sad images and stories of loss have touched everyone. Photos of anguished parents with their dead children are chilling. Reports from survivors are troubling. As we struggle to comprehend the scope of this disaster, we also grapple with the issues of why and how this happened. And how can a loving God allow this to happen?
Perhaps, rather than trying to understand the "why and how" of something which cannot be understood, we can view this as a reminder that, while many of us in the West live in abundance, most of rest of the world does not. Each night, millions of our fellow human beings go to bed hungry, are malnourished, live in horrendous poverty, in sub-standard structures, without benefit of livelihoods or access to education.
The rapid response to this disaster also has been a touching one. Yet, despite the financial generosity of millions of people worldwide, the problems of the Tsunami victims will not be solved overnight. One of the challenges we face in the West is to remember how much we have, and how much we can give. This news story will eventually fade from the front pages, but will our commitment fade over time?
In the West, we are used to finding quick responses and solutions to even the most insurmountable of problems. Remember how relatively quickly the rubble from the Twin Towers was cleaned up following the heartbreaking events of 9/11? Within a year, the site of that massive tragedy was cleared of most of the debris. This is not the case in other countries, where easy access to goods and services, as well as reliable transportation systems can be virtually non-existent. Throw in the complexities of governments plagued by years of war , civil strife, or corruption, and the hope of a "quick fix" to this disaster can seem naïve. It will take years for these areas to rebuild.
So how do we respond to this? What do we do? Years ago, I remember coming across an interesting concept while reading the works of Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. He had written something to the effect that we must become the "saviors of God" in this world. I loved that idea. No matter what our faith or beliefs or concepts of the Almighty may be, we can keep God alive in this world through reaching out to others, and helping in whatever ways we are able to help. We can make a difference–not overnight–but through patience, attention, compassion, love, hope, charity, and by remembering we are citizens in a global village.
Teresa
P.S. I have an interesting story about Guideposts. Years ago, my mother paid for a subscription to this inspirational little magazine for me. At the time, rebel that I was, I felt "miffed" that a woman who openly questioned her own faith throughout her life would be concerned about my spiritual development. In hindsight, I believe she merely wanted me to calm down, quit worrying, and appreciate life more. A few months after she died, when I was no longer on speaking terms with God, I received a note from Guideposts indicating that my subscription had been renewed--courtesy of Helen, my wonderful mother! I had been angry and heartbroken following her death, and this little renewed subscription reminder gave me pause--and made me laugh. Who knows? Maybe Helen was trying to tell me to lighten up.
Tsunami Aid Resources
Many web sites offer resources for giving aid to organizations charged with helping Tsunami victims. Here is an example from the folks at Google.
As you consider giving, please be aware of scams. We already have received a scam email asking for donations. This email was similar to the infamous "Nigerian scam" which has been traveling through cyberspace these past few years.
Truthorfiction.com offers suggestions for giving--and being cautious. Charity Navigator is also an excellent resource on giving.
If you are short of cash, remember that your unused frequent flyer miles can aid the organizations that are helping tsunami victims. The web site Miledonor.com has information about this and much more.
News from WITNE Friends
Storyteller Noa Baum has taken her one-woman show "A Land Twice Promised" to Israel, and she’s coming back to Minnesota in February for a national conference called "Healing Through Story."
Stacey Wagner, one of the founders of Means for Dreams, a non-profit organization which uses the Internet to connect teachers and students from cash-strapped public schools with donors and philanthropists, let us know that this wonderful charity is now listed in the Washington, DC Catalogue of Philanthropy:
We received an email from UK-based Lauren Grant, who is organizing a photographic exhibition tentatively titled "Inspirational Women," in support of the charity Womankind Worldwide. According to their web site, Womankind works to raise the status of women by partnering with more than 60 partner organizations in 20 countries across Africa, South Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. We’ll keep you posted about this important exhibit.
Need Some Additional Inspiration?
Explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen plan to cross the Arctic Ocean in 2005. You can read more about them at Yourexpedition.com. Incidently, Ann was one of the many women to tell her story in author Katherine Martin’s terrific book, Women of Courage (New World Library, Novato, CA, 1999). We’ve mentioned this book before, and wholeheartedly recommend it again, along with the second book in the series, Women of Spirit (New World Library, Novato, CA, 2001).
WITNE Soapbox: Can One Person Make a Difference in this World? See the Movie "Hotel Rwanda"
In 1994, when the ruling Hutus committed genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina stepped up and took responsibility for sheltering and saving the refugees who came to him for help.
In his review for CNN, Paul Clinton says it is probably the most important film of the year. We would certainly agree, and we hope that millions will turn out to see it. It is not easy to absorb the fact that the world turned away when this tragedy occurred, but it’s an important story for all of us to see and remember.
In America, TV audiences tune in nightly for crime shows with the usual "women as victim" storylines, and in which decomposing corpses are part of the entertainment. In addition, our "reality" shows involve increasing levels of dehumanization as contestants prove they will humiliate themselves for money or their 15 minutes of fame.
It would be most ironic if audiences turn away from "Hotel Rwanda" because it is too difficult to digest. Is it entertaining? It’s "gripping," to use Paul Clinton’s word, and disturbing. The actors did an outstanding job, particularly Don Cheadle. Everyone involved in the production of the movie deserves credit for helping to create this most important film. You can read more about Paul Rusesabagina in Stefan Lovgren’s piece for National Geographic News.
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