Ward's prayers

So last night Ward asked me about a picture he saw on the computer while I was reading CNN.com.  It was a picture of the devastation in Haiti.  What was I supposed to say to my precious blue-eyed boy who knows nothing of the horrors of the world?  He asked why the buildings fell down, why the people were crying, and why mommy looked sad.  Did I know those people, he wanted to know.  So I told him, in a very real, but 5-year-old level way, that there had been an earthquake (I had to explain what that was) and that a lot of people had died and were hurt.  I told him that Haiti is a country where the kids don't have electricity or bathrooms or even real houses, much less tv, toys, and playgrounds.  I said that these people who had nothing, compared to our standards, now are left in shambles and that it makes mommy very sad, and that I feel helpless sitting from my nice warm home in Alabama.

And his reply?  It was two-fold.  First he asked why God did this to these nice people.  I told him that sometimes bad things happen for reasons that we don't understand.  And that maybe, just maybe, Haiti can be rebuilt into a place that is better, much better, than it was before.  That surely is my prayer.  And that reminds me of the next thing he said.  He said "mommy, we need to pray that nice people come and help them."  And they are coming.  But time is precious.  So many lives have been lost.  The blank faces of the children brings tears to my eyes.  I know that I am not helpless and at the very least I can give money to the Red Cross or other organizations who are in the trenches.  I can't be there physically, but I will be there in support, in mind and in prayer.

Speaking of prayer, tonight when I was tucking Ward in bed, we were saying our prayers as we always do.  We go through the litany of people we want to bless and then Ward always adds in his two cents - usually for "the food and the animals" - but tonight he prayed for "those people where all the buildings fell down."  He asked God to  be with them.  May that prayer come true and may those people feel His presence.  Amen.