Japan...

I haven't really posted about the earthquake due to the fact that I really do not know what to write. I have not had a chance to really sit down and try to put what I feel into words. I can't watch the news without crying. I can't read MSN news without crying. Pretty much anything related to Japan, besides talking to David, makes me feel sick to my stomach and tear up. Though I only knew one person from Sendai (a basketball player, who happened to be on his way out of town for an away game), I have a deep connection to Japan and to the people there. I moved there in a very formative time in my life (just after graduating college) and truly found myself over there. I gained a confidence in myself that I didn't have prior to living there. Moving overseas with nothing but a boyfriend will really teach you to be self-reliant. I found great success and am quite proud of the life that I was able to establish while I was there. I have so many happy memories of my friends, my family (real and quasi-real basketball family), my work, and most importantly, my son, from my time there. I owe so much of that to the wonderful people that I met and the kind people who constantly helped me. I had never experienced such kindness from strangers in my life. I hold a very special place in my heart for the country and I will always feel that way, being that my first child was born there.  I think about those who have been affected and hope that the kindness that they have shown to people in need, like myself, is paid back to them at this most difficult time in their lives. I wish that I could do more than donate money. I wish I could search for survivors or even bodies to help families gain closure. I wish I could provide medical care or care for the elderly who have been displaced. There is so much that needs to be done. I look at the pictures of the cities that have been washed away. Literally, towns were washed away. Can you imagine fleeing in your car, not sure if you were going to beat the wave? Or wondering if your 89 year old grandmother was able to get out?  I just feel such sadness for the country and helplessness for myself. Many of the basketball players have left and some of the wives of the players who are staying have left as well. David plans to stay as long as the radiation is not in Okinawa and as long as the league continues on. I am proud of his decision and I hope that it shows a little bit of our appreciation to the people there. Though we are not able to directly help out with hands, I hope that our hearts show our love and support for the people of Japan. They are facing extraordinary challenges that will haunt them for generations.

I have included a link on the side for the American Red Cross if you are interested in donating. Thank you ahead of time for supporting a place that has been and will probably continue to be so wonderful to me and my little family.