Upsides to the Down Economy/ Haiti

Soup, oatmeal and saving money all seem inconsequential in light of the recent events in Haiti. When I was a flight attendant for Air Florida, I flew into Port Au Prince for more than a year and was impressed with the Haitian people's gentle nature and happy spirit. Why did natural disaster hit a people already struggling so hard to survive? It does not seem to make sense. In 1992 I was here in Miami when Hurricane Andrew plowed through our city. Much of our home both cars and a lot of "stuff" was destroyed. The thing I realized in the aftermath was that as long as my family was safe and sound, all the "stuff" I 'd accumulated over a lifetime, including my house and car, didn't really matter much. The other thing I was happy to discover was how our neighborhood came together to help each other out- with food, phones, generators- in a time of need. We took turns Bar-b-queing the food in our freezer that was going to go bad and truly became a neighborhood at that time. If anything good has come from this disaster it is how people all over the world, even in these hard economic times, have shown an outpouring of support for the people of Haiti. Food, water, clothes and financial aid have been showered on people in desperate need. The basic goodness and decency of humanity has a chance to shine in times like this. And for that, I am grateful.