Haiti isn't far from anyone's minds right now no matter what you are doing it hovers right there at the back of your mind. It is just so senseless, it is hard to be reminded that sometimes life doesn't make sense... and death never does.

When something so incomprehensible happens I always loose faith in life just a little. I think all of us do, at least to some extent. It's hard to believe in the goodness in life when something so incredibly bad can happen without notice.

Then I see people so moved by the plight of a stranger that they offer help in whatever way they can, and my faith in life returns a little. Life feels a little more solid. When people find a place in their hearts for someone they have never, and probably will never meet, when for a moment they do not see the differences, they see the commonality, then life seems a little less senseless.

It always amazes me when something so beautiful can grow out of something so indescribably ugly. Nothing we can do can give the people of Haiti what they have lost. Behind all of the death tolls and damage estimates are real people. Countless numbers of real people, human beings just like us. Just like any of us.

As ugly as it is, tragedy teaches us that no matter who we call enemy, no matter who we call friend, deep down we are all human, and no matter who you are pain still hurts.

As ugly as life can sometimes be, that beauty is there too. We create that beauty when we look past ourselves and reach out to a stranger.

For each and every one of you that has done something to help the people of Haiti, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you.

Thank You.

April 20, 2009 marked the tenth memorial of the Columbine massacre. Some call it an anniversary, but that word suggests celebration, and the events at Columbine leave little to celebrate.

Do we celebrate the hundreds who lived? Or do we remember the 13 who died? Do we celebrate the injured who have gone on to get married and have families, or do we remember those who never did? Do we declare victory or defeat?

Do we commend the five Columbine survivors who have gone on to become Columbine teachers? The family and friends who have gone on to spread a message of peace and hope in programs such as Rachel’s Challenge. Those who have found a way to better the world through their grief. We should, yes, we should.

For survivors are not born, they are made. A survivor isn’t always someone who actually took a bullet, or looked death directly in the face. A survivor is someone who has seen the worst that humanity has to offer and still finds a way to keep believing that there is still hope.

There has been enough hate, enough anger, enough pain and sorrow for many lifetimes. A true survivor seeks not to spread their pain further, but to heal. Even those who simply went on to become loving spouses and parents, who promised that the violence ended with them did their part, they did more than most of us will ever do in a lifetime.

A survivor does not become a survivor without first being damaged. When you have had a glimpse of hell, heaven becomes all the more beautiful. The life of another only becomes precious when you have accepted how fragile life really is. A survivor is someone who has been damaged, yet still picks themselves up and finds a way to go on.

Yes, there were survivors and they didn’t merely survive Columbine, they have had the courage to survive every day since.

Yet ten years later we must also ask, did we learn the lessons that were presented to us on that day?

Did parents teach their children to love instead of hate, to reach out instead of judge? Have they made the tie to listen to their children and be involved in their lives? Have they been able to put selfish desires aside and focus on raising the children they agreed to be responsible for?

Have teachers and staff learned to watch for those red flags and catch them before it is too late? Have they stepped in when they saw bullying and favoritism and taken the time to listen to a troubled child?

Has the media taken their responsibility for the violence in our society? Have they stopped chasing sensational stories, and parading them in front of us day in and day out? Have they taken their responsibility for elevating those who have come before to martyrdom, and continuing the cycle?

Have all of us done all that we can to ensure that our children, our schools and our communities are safe? Have any new laws been passed that might prevent further tragedy? Did we learn to put ourselves aside, to develop compassion for our fellow man?

Have we stepped forward? Have we made progress?

Have we learned anything? I hope so.

To all the survivors out there, no matter who you are. Thank you!

To the rest of us, we can do better.

Would you like to know more about the columbine survivors and where they are today? Read on at Squidoo>>>