A friend took me out for lunch, brew, and conversation yesterday. I've been mulling over all this ever since. In hindsight I can now see that my friend was making sure I was doing well and also that he is making the rounds, wrapping things up, before his trip to Darfur.

My God. There are no guarantees that he will return safely, but my prayers and those of others are with him. My friend and I have in the past agreed that we have each other's backs when it came to other somewhat dangerous work we did together. But what does that mean now? I can't get between him and the armed militia men of Darfur, even if I could, I wouldn't last long enough to make any difference.

You know, I really don't want to know. I don't want the details popping through my mind, I don't want to see the images, I don't want to hear the first hand accounts. I don't want to empathize with human beings who are tortured, raped, terrorized, and killed while on their way to drinking water. Yet I have to know. I do empathize. I see and hear and feel.

The web excels on many levels and this is one. Search for info on Darfur and an entire world opens up. Bloggers for Darfur is one of the countless paths in.

I wish God Speed for my friend and all others striving to do what they can, save even one life, wake one person up. May they make it home safely.