A letter

It may seem odd that this Madison blogger who is really very Polish and a little bit New Yorkish has a good pal in Sri Lanka, but circumstances have it that I do. She is, in fact, one of my very oldest of friends, dating all the way back to elemntary school days in New York.

Not surprisingly, I have been anxious about her – not so much because I thought her harmed, since after all, so many more survived, but because I thought it nightmarish to live in the state of chaos and mourning that must describe life in her country now.

Tonight I finally got an email from her and she writes this:

I think we really are under a curse. We were just recovering from a war and now this. The devastation is unimaginable especially in terms of human cost- Everyday I see the face of one of my directors who saw forty members of his family die- it was once a lively face and now there is so much sadness. Another friend was vacationing- she lost her father, mother, husband and children- she saw them swept away while she clung to a tree. She has asked me to come this a week to see her- visitors are regulated. I just feel so frightened for her.

And toward the end of the letter, she adds:

We have all these grand visitors- Colin Powel,. Kofi Annan, Paul Martin- hope we will not miss this opportunity to rebuild a strong and humane society.

Yes, yes, may we all get on with it already? In all corners of the world?