Normal routine resumes tomorrow

I am very fortunate to have been away from my office since December 23. An opportunity to unwind, kick back and sneeze! Christmas simply would not be in the wise words of my parents "Christmas without Malcolm having a cold". Not that it happens every year but this year it did. Regardless, I wanted to blog that this year in particular the run up to Christmas from Thanksgiving on has been a cracker of a Christmas. I note that next year I will be a Dad and that this year is the last for Taney & I as just the two of us.

Well, a normal routine resumes tomorrow with my first commute in a while back to the office to pick up on the volunteer programs in progress and work on those new volunteer needs in the new year. A throughly incredible challenge and worthwhile task ahead. I am raring to get back to business.

The last week for all has been focused on the tragic loss of life from the tsunamis. I want to highlight a comment I made a week ago, "that the crisis management of dealing with a disaster of this magnatude will be rewritten in the light of what happens over the coming days, weeks and months ahead. I am disapointed by some parties who have taken an opportunity to reinfoce a political agenda so soon in the aid efforts by governments and private individuals. The divide between the US and the UN has never moreso been displayed publically than in the last week, causing major embarrasment to the United Nations.

The speed at which aid has hit the ground given the scope and size of the disaster has been very impressive, given the distances involved, assets needed and prioritizing what needs to be done. There are plenty of people out there who say it is not quick enough, aid is not reaching those who need it. This disaster is of epic proportions and it is not as if there are stockpiles of aid waiting to be flown out at a moments notice to help victims of a disaster of this type. The speed in which so many agencies have responded and are responding is heartrendering.

Tonight I went to church with my wife at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral for a special service dedicated to those touched by the disaster. It allowed for a moment of reflection and prayer and the lighting of candles.

While a normal routine resumes tomorrow, there are many along the coastlines of the Indian Ocean who can only pray for a normal routine will resume someday soon thanks to the international community and the personal donations from millions to help make "normal" and "routine" something to look forward towards once the grief and heartaches have subsided.