Japan (no, it's not old news!)

i haven’t yet written about japan, but it’s certainly not that i have not been thinking about it.  my feelings have run the gamut from shock to disbelief to compassion and empathy.  and relief (that it didn’t happen to us).  and fear (that it could).  mostly, though, i look at myself and wonder how i could ever cope with such a thing.  i mean i like to think that i am learning, becoming stronger and developing inner resources.  that i will be able to deal with difficulty when (not if!) it shows up on my doorstep.  but this….. what these people are having to deal with is soooo far out of the realm of what we ever even consider might happen to us in our lifetime. some of them have lost EVERYTHING…. including loved ones, jobs, homes and all possessions in one fell swoop.   it’s sobering.   big time.  on a huge incomprehensible level.

and as my blogger friend maki keeps reminding us, even though the situation has faded so quickly from the headlines, the suffering goes on and is truly only beginning in some instances.  a case in point:  http://www.nctimes.com/news/world/article_9e88d2fc-0199-5e4e-85a2-038335b7b43f.html

maki is japanese but is living far away in britain and wanted to do something to help.  she is a ceramic artist and decided to make 1,000 ceramic birds, wrap each one individually and sell them worldwide to benefit the japanese people.  i found this irresistible, so here you see my lovely birds.  i have already given some away and will be using most of the rest as gifts also.  love the idea of these little birds flying all over the world with their message of help and healing.  as maki says, “every little helps”.  couldn’t agree more.  it’s small, but it’s something.