We’ve been giving a little each month to Mercy Corps, and as as result I was invited tonight to attend a reception hosted by the Mercy Corps staff to talk about the organization and what it’s doing. As far as donors go, and compared to some of the people I met tonight, I’m small potatoes, but every potato counts as they say.

Mercy Corps is a lot more than a charity; it’s a relief and development organization with a conflict management arm. It goes to places devoid of hope and brings support, know-how, and works with communities to help them recover, and eventually prosper, on their own path. Places like Afghanistan, Darfur, and Iraq.

I almost cried a few times tonight, as some of the coordinators shared stories of their experiences, particularly after hearing of an Iraqi village, deep in their own suffering, pooling their day’s wages together to help people in this our country after Katrina. There was a strange mixture of pride, shame, and tenderness in me, and it pierced my heart. The complete unfairness of the world was laid bare before me, but I also saw the faces of people who walk into that unfairness and create something wonderful.