CHILD IN THE PICTURE

I saw this in an advertisement that wasn't selling anything, except "Doctors Without Borders."

She's in Haiti, intensely concentrated, listening to the heart of a child.

The intense concentration of the child ... is he seeing something, feeling other hands that patted him, remembering someone, or is he seeing his mother lying on a pallet nearby?

We continue to hear about Hollywood people who are deeply involved, committed to helping homeless, devastated Haitians re-start their lives -- with food, and shelter, and much needed medicine.

The televised celebrity events are old news, forgotten publicity that tugged on one's "heart strings" in the way that famous performers know how to do. Today, I found some names to thank with a mention -- actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, actress Dania Ramirez, former NBA player Cliff Robinson, director Paul Haggis, the well known actors Josh Brolin, Diane Lane and Madeleine Stowe.

The picture haunts me because of the countless children in Haiti (and all over the world) who are lost -- so huge a number that being haunted is ... well, it isn't meaningless, but it's seems like self pity. How often have we seen parents and families mourning, sobbing, and watching them, we sense that they are crying for themselves -- weeping because they feel so helpless.

The picture and the look on the child's face tells me DO SOMETHING.

I didn't include actor Sean Penn in the thank you mention list -- he's in Haiti --what he's doing there is huge.

The 7.0 earthquake happened on Tuesday January 12 at 10.04.53 Eastern Standard time. The epicenter was 15 miles W.S.W. of Port-Au-Prince.

Penn arrived 9 days later, January 21, accompanied by 11 doctors, and a business person named Jenkins, with whom he has established a Haitian relief organization. He brought 1000 water filters. He said, "The idea of us being here is to make sure the aid gets to them."

He's s been in Haiti since then. He's worried because the rainy season is coming and thousands sleeping in the tent cities, where he's sleeping, will lose even that.

WHAT CAN I DO? Hold the picture of the angry child and the Doctor in my mind?

I'll hold it in my mind, keep it on my mind until l think of something I can do.

Right now I'll send money to the Jenkins Penn Haitian Relief Organization -- click here if you want to donate to them.