Supporting Sandy Sufferers

Out here in California, I look out my office window and see a serene street and the grey low 60’s weather that reigns here in the Central Valley at this time of the year. My morning has been relatively quiet and the only sound I hear outside is the buzz of a nearby lawnmower. Suburbia… silence… stillness.

When I tune into Twitter, that silence erupts as I try to compute mentally the suffering that I see erupting in 140 characters or less. Reports of devastation, images of destruction and real life stories are beginning to find their way out to us. Often the pain is palpable and the sense of “How can I possibly help?” feels overwhelming.

Videos like this one leave me grabbing for the tissue and pondering the immensity of the loss many have experienced:

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This video is longer than those I typically share here, and yet I feel compelled to ask you to watch it in the hopes that you too might be moved to ask how you might be a part of providing relief. After watching it, it’s difficult not to act — to offer a small donation (or even better a large one if you can afford it) and lots of prayers.

In moments like this one, I wish I could be out there doing something, picking up debris with those who have lost everything, serving warm meals or simply giving hugs and a listening ear. For that reason, I’m giving thanks for our brave first responders and for social service agencies such as Catholic Charities of New York and Trenton, Catholic Relief Services across the world, for the USCCB as they offer guidance and support, or Archbishop Dolan who’s out among the faithful on the front lines.

If you’re close enough to physically help, please consider doing so within safety guidelines. If you’re thousands of miles away, please join me in prayer and financial support for those whose suffering and loss is just now becoming truly clear.