I came across a blog post today about Haiti, and being present, and The Star card in the Tarot, on Tarotgirl’s Weblog. While of course it is important not to overlook the devastation in Haiti, I can’t help but feel like this post has another message for me. My Word of the Year for 2010 is presence, and I posted the definitions on top of my blog as a reminder to myself. But I have been struggling with it, and I know it could very well take all year to “get good” at practicing presence in my life. Here’s part of Tarotgirl’s post:

Be present.

A goal of any spiritual practice, Tarot or otherwise, is to get over our own internal drama. Doing so, we can be there for others.

Be present.

Being present in our lives, not trapped in our heads, we embody The Star card. Removed from internal drama, we become available to those around us. Available to our friends, our lovers, our children. We may make to make our community a better place.

Being present, practicing presence, enables me to make my community, and maybe even the world, a better place. When I am not in my own little world, zoned out at the computer for hours on end, I am available to others. I am a shoulder to cry on, and arms to hug in celebration. And I can lend my support, even in the smallest way possible, to those in need.

I have not yet donated anything to the Haiti relief efforts, but I know that right now, I need to be present in the world by doing so. My husband is out of work, and I have (I will be honest here) about $2000 in credit card debt, and our savings account is almost depleted… but I have a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, and a full refrigerator. I can afford a donation to the American Red Cross’s Haiti Relief and Development funds… can you?