Things that make you go hmmm

Alright, I've calmed a bit since my last post. Looking at it, though, I think it probably expressed what I was feeling rather adequately. Sometimes I just get to the point where I can be brought down by the evil in the world around me, and when you put that on top of a taxing day, it tends to bring me WAY down. I found out in the afternoon that a friend of mine was raped over the weekend. That brings it up to... 8 such occurences that have been brought to my attention over the last year. And these are the people who actually TELL someone. It's alarming to think of all the women (and men) who are assaulted and never come forward.

But that's a tangent not meant for here. So anyway... there I was last night, feeling depressed and agitated and a bit hopeless, and around 11 pm, I got a phone call. I thought it would be regarding this friend of mine, because who calls at 11 pm (thank goodness it was my cell phone or there would have been some angry people in my house!)? Anyway, it was a girl named Gina, who heard through the grapevine that I am looking to do a fundraiser / awareness event for Darfur. Turns out she is heavily involved with the Red Cross and they are super excited about helping me out.

The Sudan thing looks like it might actually happen, and I waited this time, instead of just running headfirst into it. Now I feel like I have a bit more clarity. I was in the student union building about two or so days after I'd mentioned that I was waiting for some guidance from The Man, and lo and behold there was one single, solitary paper advertising a forum on Sudan. I went to it last Tuesday and it just blew my mind. It reaffirmed where my passion was coming from as I heard these people share their stories (all were native of the Sudan), and saw a room full of people who were eager to make a difference. I met with the organizer (from the Africa Network) afterwards and expressed my desire to have an event. She looked at me and said "we have been dying to do something like this". Now this thing with the Red Cross... between the Africa Network and the Red Cross, I feel like there is a bounty of resources that is now available to me...

I just feel that I was blessed last night by that phone call, odd as it was. I was reminded that despite the evils of the world, there is also so much good. And I needed that.