first you cry

I haven’t really known what to say about Haiti. I imagine people all over the blogosphere have struggled with that. Beyond the basics of it’s horrible/please pray/please send money, I haven’t known what to make of it or what to do about it.

But I have been listening to one song from Annie Parsons’ EP over and over again this week. I’ve blogged before about Annie’s soulful songwriting and her rich voice – but as I think this week of the folks in Haiti, I’ve been turning to these words (from Track 6, “First You Cry”):

I see your tears – you’re tryin’ to understand
What do you do when life don’t wind up like you planned?

You wake up every single mornin’
Will your feet to hit the floor
You pour the coffee, wipe the counter
Make yourself walk out that door
You keep on livin’, dig your heels in
Tell yourself that you’ll get by
But first – but first, you cry

I’ve been clinging to these words as I think of the folks in Haiti, and of others who are suffering. I have a friend who’s in the middle of a divorce; two friends who’ve lost their fathers-in-law recently; and I know a family whose little girl is struggling with leukemia. Annie herself has recently moved back to Colorado because her mom has cancer. I think of all these people daily and pray for them and hope things are getting better – but I know that first, before the healing, come the tears.

In the meantime, my friend David Vanderpool and his dad, also named David, have been on the ground in Haiti with Mobile Medical Disaster Relief. You can check their Web site here and follow them on Twitter here; they are just one of many organizations doing good work down there.

In the craft world, donations/auctions/etc. are popping up all over the place; there are two Etsy shops, CraftHope and HeartsforHaiti, made up of donated items, and all proceeds go to Haiti relief. Stephanie is, as always, championing the work of Doctors Without Borders, and many Ravelry designers have decided to donate part or all of their proceeds to Haiti relief. I love that there’s so much love and money pouring toward Haiti. I know we can’t help everyone – I know the problem is too big for us – but I’m deeply thankful that people are trying.

This weekend I’ll celebrate a birthday with a dear friend, and have dinner with some other friends who’ve just moved to town. There’s still so much joy in the world, even in the midst of disasters like this one. But I’ll still be keeping Annie’s words close by for a while.

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