Asia quake toll tops 21,000 (and growing).
I'm sure you are tired of reading about this in other blogs, and hearing about it on the news but I would be remiss if I didn't say anything. If for no other reason than for my own personal recollection, this event must be marked. The earthquake that caused the tsunami yesterday was the world's fifth-largest since 1900 and the largest since a 9.2 tremor hit Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1964. In other words, this is the largest quake in 40 years.

This catastrophic event will be one of those moments that will never be forgotten and only those who are actually living it right now will truly understand just how devastating this really is. The rest of us can only watch in horror from the comfort of our homes and be grateful that it didn't happen to us. My heart ached as I sorted through 50 pictures in order to choose one for this post and saw some of the most appalling pictures of the chaos. Rooms filled with corpses. Childrens bodies being buried in mass graves. Families surrendering to the overwhelming grief.

I e-mailed a friend of mine living in Thailand to make sure he was ok. I know enough about where he lives to know that he wasn't hit, but the guy likes to travel so I couldn't be sure he was actually at home. I was relieved to get an e-mail back saying he was fine. So many others won't be so lucky.

Take this time to be grateful for all that you have. If you would like to donate to the relief effort go to Unicef, Red Cross or World Vision. And yes, I do as I say and I will be donating. I hope you do too.