Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Project

On the website here.

In the past few weeks I have thought often of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I have never personally experienced a natural disaster so I can not really imagine what this has been like for the people of Japan. The enormity of this tragedy is difficult to grasp. To lose a family member, a home or to not have daily needs as simple as food or water is hard to comprehend. Pondering the news reports caused me to reach to the bookshelf and open Ann Weems' Psalms of Lament. I was drawn to Weems' Psalm Twenty-five which starts like this:

On eBay here.

O God, what has happened to your creation?

What kind of world is this

that the innocent die?

Where is your hand

that it does not stop the killing?

How long will you watch

while the world calls you names?

How long will you wait while the river of blood

floods your streets?

Will you let the innocent die

and the guilty go free?

Will the guilty laugh cruelly

in the streets,

while the innocent lie cold

in their graves?

And the last stanza....

O God of justice, stop these plagues,

and stoop to comfort your people,

for you, and you only, are our refuge.

My yoga instructor shared that her young son caught her watching the news report of the recent devastation. He was distraught. She thankfully remembered Rev. Fred Roger's advice after the horror of 9/11. He advised adults to guide children to watch the 'helpers.' We can't always explain bad things but we can focus on the positive of the response from those that are willing to help. Additionally our faith can lead us to establish that in even larger quantities is the presence of God in the midst of the destruction.

The inspiration fabric.

In the studio I personally feel a need to create when I am troubled, distraught or upset. It's often my way of working through the emotion. Inspired by this Asian fabric that reminds me of the beauty of the arts in Japan we have created a limited edition stole. One version is up for bid here on eBay and another version is here on the website. Today, I can't go to Japan and work for, pray with and give hugs to those that are in need. But I take comfort that there are disaster assistance groups already doing some of this. So Carrot Top Studio will try to be "a helper" with all the profit from the sale of the mentioned stoles going to One Great Hour of Sharing to support their disaster assistance efforts. One Great Hour of Sharing is "an offering that makes the love of Christ real for individuals and communities around the world who suffer the effects of disaster, conflict, or severe economic hardship, and for those who serve them through gifts of money and time." If you haven't had a chance to be a "helper" for this calamity maybe this stole and cause is for you.