I can’t stop thinking about the people in Japan.

They aren’t looting. That fact alone floors me. It makes me ashamed, because just 6 years ago I witnessed firsthand how crazy and out of control people can be in the face of disaster when Hurricane Katrina hit. I worked in a hotel in Baton Rouge — 60 miles from New Orleans — and the crazy behavior reached me. I saw it happen in the hotel lobby day after day. I can’t even imagine what it was like in the middle of the mess.

The Japanese way makes me feel even more worried for them. They believe in order and honor. That makes them even more deserving of aid, in my opinion.

Last night, ignoring ONE’s persistent and loud comments that he did not want to watch the news (“No news, Mommy. No news!) I sat glued to Diane Sawyer’s report from Tokyo. Is two-and-a-half too young for a kid to learn about tragedy? I half-wondered about how the images of death and destruction were affecting ONE … not to mention the fact that I was bawling my eyes out.

Thankfully, he didn’t ask any questions. After 30 minutes, I changed the channel to NickJr and pulled myself together. I can’t shelter my child from real life; life outside of the safe cocoon we’ve woven for him. If anything else, I want to teach him why we need to thank God every day for what we have, and ask Him to help us never take it for granted.