Rising to meet the challenge

Today was another day of crushing news about the growing casualty count in the earthquake stricken regions of China's Southwest, but it was also a day of uplifting stories about people who rose to the challenge--a 9 year old boy who carried injured classmates out of his collapsing school on his back; a survivor who was pulled from the wreckage i shock but still alive after an unthinkable 179 hours of being buried alive.

I wept today reading of the 60-something year-old homeless beggar man who felt compelled to do something."Those people have it worse than me, I have to try to help them," he said. The first time he went to the donation center in Nanjing, he was only able to offer about 5 yuan (less than a dollar) in loose change. Spurred on by his desire to somehow help, he began aggressively (but respectfully) panhandling and able to produce almost 100 yuan (about 15 dollars), the third time he went to donate, this raggedy old homeless man in tattered clothing counted out over 300 yuan in small change and small bills, as his respectful contribution.

Every drop counts, people.