On Change, and Much MORE Serious Things

Last week I left off on the idea that we need change in this country, and urged all you who are eligible to vote in the upcoming election. I hate to be anything but a lighthearted escape from busy and turbulent times for you, dear readers, but I'd love to steal your time (just two minutes of it, at least) for a far more serious call to change. You see, it's not only this country that needs change. We might be in desperate need for new leadership, but we've also blinded ourselves to certain countries in far greater need than our own.

Enter Maryam of MyMarrakesh, a blog I've loved for a long time and mentioned on here before. She's been spending some time away from her idyllic Moroccan home to report back on one of the darkest and scariest places on earth: Rwanda. The genocide there has been going on for so long that our own media outlets have simply deemed it "old news" at this point. But for cruelty this intense, there needs to be a voice of reason and a beacon of light.

I have never been so moved by blog-writing as I was when I read this post by Maryam last Friday, so now I'm urging you all to read it too. At worst, it's gorgeous writing. At best, it's a rousing call to action for those who need it most.

Please, please, please read Maryam's stories and, if you can, find the generosity in your hearts to do something. If you can donate, Maryam has specified how to do so on her page. If you, like me, have been far too beaten by this economy to donate before the holiday season, spread awareness on your own blogs in hopes that some of your readers can help as well. If our current presidential candidates are as in touch with grassroots efforts as they claim to be, maybe we can spread the word far enough to make this issue rise back to the top of the priority list. Really, this is the kind of change that we can all get behind.