Violence

I made a mistake this week. I turned on the television and ended up watching the news. I was again reminded of how cruel we can be to each other. Somebody said to me it feels like the end of the world but I disagree. In the midst of it all, there are organizations trying to make a difference in the war zones. They have a goal of peace and love.

Now first of all I realize I can't even begin to understand the issues between the two sides. For me, I abhor any decisions which have violence.

Remember I've never had a fight in my life and that was difficult because growing up I lived in Montana in a town named Great Falls. It was a mining town. My neighbors had five brothers and their father worked in the mining field. The brothers would party on the weekend by going up to the reservation and beating up Native Americans.

But I value so much the words of Ghandi who said "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." So there are a couple of organizations I want to highlight.

The first is "Doctors without Borders." In 1971 a group of doctors in France came together because of a war and famine in Biafra, Nigeria. Their aim was an independent organization delivering emergency medical humanitarian care quickly and impartially.

They started with three hundred volunteers giving access to high quality care. In the past 50 years, they have responded to emergencies across the globe. They now have over 68,000 staff providing 16 million medical consultations in 70 countries. They are impartial and provide medical care when there is none.

God bless this group of people who show up in love providing service of the deepest kind.

The second organization is Save Our Children." There currently is a public service announcement playing showing an eye. In the end it is the eye of a child with a message that states war always impacts the children.

In 1919 Eglantyne Jebb founded Save the Children. It was based on the truth that children have the right to grow up healthy, educated, and safe. It is such an indication of our ego driven world that this is not always a mainstream idea. Now there is an UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and this has become a basic right.

This organization works in over 100 countries doing whatever it takes to give children a healthy start in life. Last year this organization impacted 18 million children in 118 countries.

So simple, so powerful - each child has the right and deserves a future.

These are just two of the many organizations working anytime there is wae and violence and natural disasters. Support them as they make a difference...........