The vigil

A vigil is being kept by the families and friends of people who are still missing after the earthquake in Haiti. While the vast majority of the missing are Haitian and will never be recovered, which is a tragedy on a scale so immense that it defies my imagination, an ongoing international effort seeks to recover the missing who are from the U.S. and Canada, France, Italy, South America, and other Caribbean nations.

Many of them remain buried in the remains of the Hotel Montana. On Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer colonel in charge of the site apologized because the rubble is so unstable that the rest of the lobby must be excavated by hand. This may take another three weeks.

The vigil takes place here. Some 16,000 people are watching and waiting and providing love and support to each other the best they can. The administrators are people of great grace and compassion.

I’ve been watching for a couple of weeks. At first, I was motivated by hopeful curiosity. Then I felt like a voyeur for a couple of days.

Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night, and it’s dark and quiet and the only weight I feel is the covers on our bed, I say some prayers for people I don’t know.

I roll over and put an arm around Mr. Music. And I feel grateful beyond words to know where the people I love are.