Sad and grateful all at the same time

I apologize in advance for a post that has nothing to do with SQL Server but I have this urge to express the sorrow and anger I’ve been feeling these past few days. Before you go any further please be mindful that the opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and may not be shared by my employer or my co-workers.

I am horrified that in the richest country in the world, after a forecasted natural disaster, people are being left to fend for themselves without food, water and sanitation. What struck me the most was the plight of the poor people gathered at the New Orleans Convention Center, desperately waiting for help that took days to arrive. Babies and senior citizens were dying of dehydration and I felt so helpless witnessing it all as if I were there and yet unable to help. Giving a little bit of money was all I could do. But money wasn’t what was needed most urgently. This country has the doctors, the food, the medication, and the vehicles that were required to rescue the victims and yet, none of it was where it was most needed.
In the end, I am certain that through the public’s generosity and the government’s efforts, there will be money to help the victims get their lives back to normal. But how many people will have died in New Orleans who didn’t have to?
Yesterday, I bought my 15 months old daughter her first pair of real shoes.  I felt so grateful that I could do this… something as simple as going to the store and buying my baby a pair of shoes, when so many little ones in New Orleans have been wearing the same filthy diaper and going hungry for days.
In the end, this is a sobering reminder that I have been taking so many things for granted. Eventually I’m sure the raw emotion will subside and I’ll go back to complaining about inconsequential little things, like the price of a gallon of gas or the lack of decent cheese at my local supermarket. Still, I hope I won’t forget how I feel right now.