Haiti con't

While my heart is on hold until I hear from Michel, I have been buoyed by so many kind words and support from friends and family. Tragedies often bring out the best in humanity and Haiti is the most recent example of how good we can be. The money that has been raised for Haiti is staggering, especially considering how few had even the smallest knowledge of this deeply troubled nation before January 12th. But who doesn't use another's tragedy as an opportunity to reset? Haiti's crisis, like so many of the worst recent tragedies, brings us closer to what matters most in our lives--our families, our friends, our communities, our acts and deeds. This collapsed little nation gives us an opportunity to shake off our usual concerns and worries and focus on something a little bit more essential, a little bit more important. And this is one of the few lights that I can find among so much darkness.

Waiting

It's been seven days since the earthquake in Haiti. I have not heard from Michel. I have posted her information on several international websites, but have not been able to speak directly with anyone from the State Department about her situation. It's chaos in Haiti and everyone is overwhelmed. We are just another case. Yesterday, Grant forwarded her information to a colleague of his at Teach For America who has strong ties to Haiti. She is going to see what her relatives in Haiti can find out for us. Michel's town of Jacmel was featured in a Wall Street Journal article yesterday, a depressing article of how relief has been slow to reach smaller towns.

A few of the moms from Quinn's kindergarten have reached out to me with great concern about my "mom" in Haiti. Quinn has shared my story with his classmates and they have gone home to share Quinn's story with their parents. It seems almost irrelevant that she is not my biological mother. Mother? Total all the minutes and hours and days and years of loving someone with every ounce of yourself and and you are scarcely left with any other word but mother to describe the relationship you have built. She didn't have kids of her own. She had me and my sister Lara. And we had her.

Pray for Haiti

I know someone in Haiti. In fact, she is my second mother. Michel lived with our family from the time I was 4 months old until I was 9. My parents sponsored her in 1969 and she came to live with us in our house in Washington, DC. In 1973, when we moved to New York, she came with us. Her bedroom was next to mine and I crawled in her bed almost every night. When my sister and I got older, she took a job at the Reader's Digest, where my father worked. She made all the salads for the cafeteria. Beautiful creations that she took pride in. She got her U.S. citizenship in 1994. I was there for the official ceremony. Three years ago, she and her husband returned to their native Haiti to live out their retirement. They visit the U.S. a couple of times a year and return to Haiti with suitcases full of cooking oil and sugar and flour because supplies are so scarce in Haiti. They are U.S. citizens, but choose to live in one of the most dangerous, impoverished countries on the planet. Their homeland. The last time I saw her was last March at the JFK airport, where we took this picture. I don't know if she and her husband are safe. I can only pray.

January days

In the last 12 days, I put my mom on a plane back to New York City and picked up a friend and her son visiting from Altadena. I have been to two full day skiing clinics at Eldora, our local ski mountain, and have skied with Grant twice. I have finished a fantastic book on Los Angeles by James Frey called "Bright Shiny Morning" and started Andre Agassi's book "Open" on my mom's Kindle, which I may not be returning to her. I have watched the temperature dip early last week to minus 2 degrees then back up to 50 by Saturday. A busy beginning to 2010...

Today it was over 50, providing spring skiing conditions and the kind of sunshine that reminded me of being back in California. It was the second day of my six week Tuesday clinic at Eldora. I'm in a class with 6 other women, all of us intermediate skiers. We begin at 8:30 with a hot breakfast, ski with instruction for two hours, break for lunch and then ski for another two hours. I haven't had a lesson since I was 11, so I am learning (and unlearning) many things. I left the mountain at 2:30 after the last run to meet the boys' 3:10 bus. I have rushed to meet my kids for many things but never with a day like today in my rear view mirror.

A few words about friendship. Our visit with our dear friend Shari and her son Dylan was lovely. I now know how my friend Kris felt when all her Toronto friends came to Boulder for a surprise birthday party and then left: deeply sad. But I am happy to know that this wonderful woman who gave us so much support during our move to Boulder is the same wonderful friend when she visits us in Boulder. I just appreciate her that much more.

Happy 2010!

I think I've done enough reflection for 2009. Just a few predictions for 2010:

Alex and Grant will be in better shape by 2011 (the Boulder effect)

Janet (Alex's mom) will move to Colorado (the Boulder effect)

Carson will become a professional rock climber at age 9 (the Boulder effect)

Quinn will grow 6 inches (the Boulder effect?)

Cole will learn to love to ski (the Boulder effect)

Cheers to a bright, healthy and happy 2010!