The Syrian clash is something I have no way of changing so I have to let go of the anger and sadness of it. There will always be factions wanting what others have.
On a smaller scale of goodness I was in Meijers here locally where the MSU (Go Green Go White!) Were doing thier shopping with the at risk kids they adopted. So all around the store they pushed carts with 2-3 kids in tow...Making Christmas happen for them. Footballs on sale were put in the carts and signed by players on the spot. What a deal for $10. The brigade were in different parts of the store everywhere. Nice... Last night televised were our local first Responders doing the same with the kids. The police Firemen and EMT's doing that good above and beyond keeping us safe.

Yeah, the traumatic stories of mass suffering in the news are always overwhelming. In the Dirty War in South America I survived in the 1970s, at least 30,000 innocents did not. I'm told the number of innocents lost is over 220,000 in Syria's crisis we see in the headlines.

I've lived with PTSD ever since surviving in the 1970s, and against feeling resentful I still have PTSD and only feel helpless at seeing traumatic mass suffering repeat itself, I try to remember those who helped people like me survive in the first place. People I will never know stepped up to be good in the face of massive trauma like those Women of Valor in the Holocaust.

Those women remind me of the brave women I've come to know here at DS PTSD. Women who have suffered, who don't shrink from naming suffering for what it is, and yet who get support and give support back. Wow.

It made me think of the story of the starfish:

"The Starfish Story

A young woman is walking along the ocean and
sees a beach on which thousands and thousands
of starfish have washed ashore. Further along
she sees an old woman, walking slowly and
stooping often, picking up one starfish after
another and tossing each one gently into the
ocean.

Why are you throwing starfish into the
ocean?, she asks.

Because the sun is up and the tide is going out
and if I dont throw them further in they will
die.

But, old woman, dont you realize there are miles
and miles of beach and starfish all along it!
You cant possibly save them all, you cant even
save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you
work all day, your efforts wont make any
difference at all.

The old woman listened calmly and then bent
down to pick up another starfish and threw it
into the sea. It made a difference to that one.

Speaking as one of those little 1970s starfish, I say thanks.

Good notion, muji. Following your lead carried me to one of my childhood heroes. She, too, had to deal with culturally unacceptable levels of PTSD without a single, humane name to call it.

Just look at HER trash art. . .

http://www.afb.org/annesullivan/asmbiography.asp

I have nothing global, only the fact my neighbors thanked me for cat care by a huge plate of homemade cookies.

Small drops add up to big buckets.

arfie, loved the story of Anne , a degree at 70? That may be me!

Merry Christmas!!... Well said Muji... Much like Mother Teresa put it
We can all do our bit to keep the cogs moving ...smile....xo

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/23677-we-know-only-too-well-that-what-we-are-doing