This morning I woke at 5 am in a warm bed. I walked downstairs to wake my daughter for seminary. I put on clothes, just a few things out of my more than adequate wardrobe. Just before we went out the door I sift through the kitchen shelves thinking 'there's nothing to take for breakfast, all the granola bars are gone'. Eventually I choose a handful of grapes and a sleeve of saltine crackers.
After seminary we rush back home, where I make sack lunches - a water bottle, pretzals, carrot sticks, dried banana chips, and a PB&J sandwich - one for each of my school going children. They eat breakfast, complaining that there isn't any cereal left. Despite that they all eat something different for breakfast. I rush them to get dressed, to wear their shoes not their boots, get their coats, backpacks, and we're out the door. Loading into the mini-van I'm frustrated because I have to scrape ice off a windshield for the second time today (took DH's car to seminary). The kids make it to the bus stop just in time. After the bus pulls away I steer towards the grocery store. Baby cries at me, "Gym, gym?"
"No gym today, we're going to the store."
She fusses a little more and then forgets what the crying was about and begins to babble to herself.
I feel a little achy today, I wish I didn't have to do the grocery shopping. I'd rather cuddle up in bed with Baby and watch Dora.
The voice on the radio enters my consciousness, he's talking about Haiti. They've had another earthquake this morning. Those poor people, how much can they stand? Then I hear this audio postcard:
Music Helps Lift Haitians' Spirits
..the sound of the water spilling from the water tanker, the mingling voices. Then the screech of the thirsty woman who had no water in 5 days... I let out a sob.
5 days without water.
No where to sleep for a week...
Looting...
Dead bodies filling the streets... and then the earth shakes again.
I cried in the parking lot for a few minutes before I went into the massive grocery store, full of more than I can even fathom. It's all at my fingertips - water, meats, cheeses, breads, vegetables and fruits from around the world, diapers, gourmet dog food, candy, tablecloths, potato chips, sushi made fresh daily, band-aids, aspirin, baby formula...
Put it in my cart, roll up to a check-out lane, slide my plastic card and it's all mine.
But somehow all I want is a drink of water.