Look at this picture…what do you see? You likely see a gorgeous sunset over an ocean viewed from a sandy beach. But do you also see an island where its capital was decimated by an earthquake, one that claimed over 200,000 thousand lives, left countless people maimed and rendered over a million people homeless and fighting for survival? This is Haiti. My friend Angel took this picture. Angel is a Canadian police officer currently on a peacekeeping mission, his second, in this ravaged land.
In my early 20’s I traveled to Haiti. I remember well the bus ride from the country capital of Port au Prince, the warmth of the Haitian people, bartering on the beach using a mixture of French and Haiti’s native Creole for their folkloric arts and crafts, and I certainly remember the stunning sunsets.
When I recently saw this picture on Angel’s FaceBook page, I felt inspired to share it here. This is a picture of hope. It reminds me just how fragile we humans are against the forces of nature so much more powerful than us. This beautiful sunset also reminds me how wonderful each and every day we wake up alive really is. This picture is a tribute to the courage of so many people in a land most of us may never see, except for on the evening news. It could be any beach, but this is a beach in a destroyed land where people still have hope and where other people, like my friend Angel, are working to help them rebuild that hope. Thank you to all the “angels” out there helping Haiti rebuild. Bon courage, Haiti!