Seeing the Sakura in bloom made me think of the people in Japan. It has been painful to watch and I often think if there’s someway that I could help.
This post is inspired by lady0fdarkness, you can help by simply text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10 to the red cross to help victims in Japan.
Also inspired by Cambree of her post, Global Giving: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, I also chose to donate via paypal. Another organization is the Search Dog Foundation, and there are many others out there.
Lee and I visited my dad again today, I count my blessings that I have a family to visit. Please help if you can, a kind gesture goes a long way.
Kyodo News, via Reuters: A devastating tsunami hit the coast of northeast Japan on Friday in the aftermath of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake about 80 miles offshore. The quake churned up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland in the northern part of the country. Burning houses in Natori City in northeastern Japan.
Photo by Kyodo News, via Reuters
Nye Noona 
The stories of missing family and friends are all very sad, but the stories of people working together and helping each other is hopeful.
Your blossoms are beautiful and made my day. Thanks. 🙂
Thanks Cambree, it’s the blossoms in front of my dad’s house, the tree has gotten a lot bigger this year.
It’s very sad to watch and the powerful images that keep pouring in stressed the situation even more. 😦
Thank you for this post, Nye. Words cannot describe the feelings I have after I watch the news on Japan. Sometimes I go to sleep crying, feeling so sad for all those who lost loved ones and those who suffered. I do feel very hopeful that many caring and compasionate people are reaching out. Goodnight and God bless Japan and all of us…
lady0fdarkness, thanks to you and this is the least I could do. I know what you mean, I do the same after reading or watching the news. The nuclear situation is very scary and I hope that they have it under control soon, lots of hope and prayers.
You gave me a good idea. Because of you I added a widget with a link to the American Red Cross donation page. You reminded me, too, of a wonderful dinner I went to nearly fifty years ago when I was a student at Michigan State University. It is astonishing to me to realize that it was so long ago.
The dinner, put on by the International Students Association, was sponsored on that particular occasion by the students from Japan. It was an indescribably lovely evening and I learned a great deal about the New Japan–which is, of course, not so new anymore. One of the things I remember best is that we all learned to sing Sakura . . .
Thank you, Ginger, for bringing back an extraordinarily precious memory, and for kicking me in the pants to do something practical at the same time!
Surely here in Michigan, where we bless the cherry blossoms every spring, we can help.
Gerry, you are welcome and I think the Sakura or cherry blossoms will have a special meaning this year, at least it does for me. I often think of Japan as in the Japanese garden, and this brings me back to my childhood memories when my mom used to take us to the Brooklyn Botanical garden. The Sakura were beautiful when the cherry blossom trees bloom. Thanks for sharing your story, I wonder if I could find that song online.
I found a video of Brooklyn Botanical Garden, just like I remember it. 🙂
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is beautiful with all the sakura flowers. There should be more trees that provide blossoms in the spring and shade in the summer.
I donated to the Red Cross last year for Haiti. This year I decide to go with http://www.globalgiving.org via Paypal. But there are many other organizations that could use some help. Search Dog Foundation for example.
And texting is easy, but it may take up to 90 days. Also realize there may be hidden fees involved with text donations, such as your cell carrier charging you your regular rate for texts.
http://www.care2.com/causes/trailblazers/blog/donating-to-charity-is-texting-the-best-way/
http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/98/html/index.html
Hi Cambree, we spend a lot of time at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden growing up, it was within a walking distance from our Apartment and my mom would take us there all the time. The fee was based on donation back then.
The Search Dog Foundation sounds like a great organization and thanks for the link, I will update my post.
[…] the natural disaster can do, and not to mention what is still in the air. Please do help to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund if you can. Canon T2i, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens, Manual, f/4, 1/500sec, ISO 800, focal length […]