Are You There God?

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed and heartbroken over sad news and more than ever, it's causing me to ask "are you there, God?" Last week I read a story about a woman from Hamtramck who was arrested for torture after putting her four-year old daughter in a hot oven. Prior to that, she had burned the girl's lower eyelid with a hot nail, or something of that nature while her husband had gone to pick up two of their older children from school. The 40-year old woman and her husband have five children--an infant, a four, five, seven and eight-year old. They are all in the foster care now.

It's hard not to get up on my soapbox and shout "stop having children!" Common sense tells me that would be a good place to start. You don't have to be Dr. Phil to understand that. In my opinion, people who are not mentally mature enough, educated enough, patient enough, or wealthy enough to raise five children, shouldn't be having five children. Just because you can have more kids, doesn't mean you should. I know this is a hot and controversial topic, and we could debate it until we're blue in the face. Nadya Suleman and her desire for 14 children have certainly fanned the flames of this firestorm.

Sad news is very different from bad news. We've certainly had plenty of bad news--job losses, home foreclosures, recession, depression, etc. After the initial shock sets in, bad news can make me feel angry. Sad news is just heart wrenching. It leaves me feeling empty and asking God "why would you do this?" In my heart, however, I know that God is not responsible for this, people are and it could have been avoided if people would stop and think. People choose to be selfish, people choose to take on too much, people choose to hurt others, and people choose to look the other way. Maybe if more of us would choose to pay attention to those who are in distress, we might be able to help avoid disaster.

Another example of sad news is the death of a 93-year old man who froze to death in his own home after his heat was cut off for failing to pay his bills. Ironically, it was discovered he left over $600,000 to a local hospital. The man's nephew was appalled at the circumstances surrounding his uncle's death. People were outraged at the local utility company and the way they handled the situation. Granted, they should have made sure the customer understood the ramifications of not paying his bill. However, where were the friends and family of this man? Why wasn't anyone checking on a 93-year old man in this bitter cold winter? It doesn't matter if he was mentally or physically stable. A 93-year old person needs a support system and someone should have been looking out for this gentleman. Many of us have elderly people in our neighborhoods that we just take responsibility for checking in on if we see they have no local family. The nephew should be appalled at his family's oversight in leaving this man on his own.

I have learned that the older I get, the less I truly need. What I find I need more of is something I can't buy. It's that feeling of knowing that I am giving back. I've always wondered why, as a breast cancer survivor, I didn't jump on the bandwagon of raising money, doing the three-day walk, wearing pink, and so on. It's not that I didn't feel compelled to help find a cure for cancer, it's just that I always thought I was too busy, or had that "what can I do?" mentality. After all, I'm only one person with limited resources. But age and life's lessons have changed my outlook from "what can I do" to "what I can do." So, I will be in search of a good cause that touches my heart that I can donate my time and efforts to. It might be volunteering at the local hospital or working at the Tri-City Christian food center. For me, giving back will be a way to not give in to despair.

If you are aware of a local charity or cause that needs volunteers, please share that information with us. Many of you have mentioned that you have tried to leave comments for me on the blog and have been unsuccessful. I think in order to do this, you must sign in, which is a feature that makes people accountable for their comments. Click on "sign in" at the top right corner of the blog. From there, you can create a Google Account with your email address and a password. Once you have created your Google Account, you can sign in and then click on "comment" for the posting you would like to comment on. When you post the comment, click on the account you are signed into, which would be Google. Please don't let it intimidate you. Creating a Google Account will not obligate you to to do anything. You can also sign up as a "follower", if you'd like. As my Aunt Mary says, if she can do it anyone can.

I welcome your comments, stories, ideas, and feedback and look forward to hearing from you.