Please pray for the Middle East

Obviously, the things going on in Israel & Lebanon are tough to read about. Imagine the poor (non Hezbollah) citizens of Lebanon having their homeland decimated, their family members used as human shields. Israel is used to fighting for its life, unfortunately. But Lebanon is nothing more than a convenient stage for conflict - a puppet for the governments of its neighbors. Still, here in America, it's easy to page from such turmoil to the latest Idol results (no, I've never sat down to watch it, though I did catch part of an episode once at a friend's house - but you know what I mean).

Some of you may remember my friend Kimiko from Japan. She lived with me & Rich before marrrying her husband Ilan, and moving to Canada. Ilan is from Israel.

Kimi recently sent me the following e-mail. It illustrates to me the ripple effect of these kinds of large-scale tragedies - little dynamics we may not even think to consider:

Sonya,

I received an e-mail from a Japanese online friend who has an Israeli husband and lives in North Israel. Rockets from Lebanon have reached close to the area where she and her family live.

They have a bomb shelter at home, and they have spent nights in the bomb shelter. Air-raid sirens have been on and off in that area. At night in the bomb shelter, their daughter ( I guess she is 4 or 5 years old) often wakes up from bad dreams, crying, "The car (meaning the air-raid siren) is coming!!! I'm scared!!!"

My heart hurts.

Kimi