05/13/2010

Haitian sunsets, stars, & sunrises.  Once again I am awestruck by the beauty of Haiti.  I once thought I had a clear view of the skies in LeRoy, but that is nothing compared to the view in Haiti.  Here, the sky is unhindered by bright lights and massive amounts of pollution.  I've never seen so many stars.  From the roof, they seem to just surround me from every side.  And the sunset, how marvelous to be able to watch the last rays of light peeking over the mountaintop.  Here, it is an everyday occurrence - walk out on your roof & you can't miss it.  It's the kind of thing city people go on vacation for and country folk get a little taste of each day.  But there is just something different about it here.  The mountains add a sense of grandeur that I don't feel from the flat cornfield laden landscapes of Illinois, even on the clearest of nights & with the most beautiful of sunsets.  In a beauty contest, Haiti beats us hands down.

Despite the deforestation & devastation, she wins.  She is strong & beautiful.  She has survived hurricanes & earthquakes, yet she stands...calm & mighty as if to say, "God is here.  I will not be shaken."  So beautiful. And to remember that Haiti, in the view of geography, is a tiny island nation gently floating in the Caribbean conflicts my heart.  On the one hand, she is so vulnerable.  Yet, while I sit here and look out the balcony I cannot help but insist that she & her people are strong and can withstand anything the world throws at them.

It really is a beautiful parallel to make to a woman's heart.  God calls us to be vulnerable, yet we must carry with us a sense of strength & tranquility that only comes from Him.  We must say, "I am here for whatever you want, Lord & I need you...but I am strong because I know you."

As I go through life, I hope to remember this moment & the things I learned from the Haitian countryside.  To draw upon God's strength & allow it to shine from me through a calm, vulnerable trust in Him.

Lord, help me to be strong, beautiful, & vulnerable like Haiti...