Day 84 - Sunflower

Thought of the day:  Today is the one year anniversary of the devastating Haitian earthquake.  The magnitude of the disaster and the depth of the human tragedy had been beyond imagination.  A lot of aid poured in after the quake, with a large percentage of US households opening up their wallets (I heard a 60% number on NPR today).  There were even fundraisers in Jasmine's elementary school and they were surprisingly successful.  I remember the days after the quake were filled with shock - of the scale of the disaster, wonder - of the generosity of people all over the world, and hope - that a better Haiti will emerge from the ruins.  Fast forward one year and the current situation is: the government is nowhere to be seen, NGOs are operating in disaster relief mode, tons of rubble covers the capital city, more than a million people live in tents...sounds familiar?  Those were the words used to describe the situation immediately after the quake, and they are still accurate today.  On top of that, there is a cholera outbreak which has claimed many lives and is putting many more in danger.  It's a very sad situation indeed.  Haiti really needs to pull itself up on its feet, create a functioning government, make a master redevelopment plan, rally to regain attention, sympathy and support from governments and donors, begin reconstruction and bring jobs and hopes back to the people.  As challenging as it may be, it's time for the country to move forward and close the sad chapters in its history.


Photo of the day:

Sunflower, a symbol of hope.  I saw it in a yard in Boulder, dangling in the wind and basking in the late afternoon sun.  It was a happy find!