Thank You for Crying

We saw our friend J. today for the first time since we saw him in the States in June. He is back in Haiti for a visit after leaving on a med-evac plane the night of the earthquake. It was great to see him and talk to him.

When we said goodbye, he said to me, "Thank you for crying at appropriate times. And if you want to cry at inappropriate times, that's fine with me too."

It was such a sweet thing to say, and so typical of J., who, although he lost his wife that night, spent our first phone conversation after the quake making sure I was OK. I know how hard all of this has been on me, and my losses pale to nothing in comparison with his. There's absolutely nothing I can do for him except listen and cry, and he listened to us as much as we listened to him. But I sure can cry - that I'm good at. I'm learning more about how important it is to weep with those who weep. There's so much to weep for in this world, so much pain and suffering everywhere you look.

Thank you for crying for Haiti. Thank you for reading, and caring, and continuing to pray for those who grieve and mourn.