Today is not only my daughter's fifth birthday, but it's also Bloggers Unite Day. Bloggers all over the world today are blogging about refugees and our hopes that they can be reunited with their families and loved ones as they go through an amazingly tough time.

This past week, I was traveling on business to the lovely city of Toronto. It was also a time that I really reflected on all my blogging ventures and what I'm trying to accomplish in life. I evaluated all the topics that I write on, the things I'm passionate about, and most importantly, whether or not they are truly making a difference. The whole exercise left me feeling rather... strange I guess. I want to make a difference in the world. A BIG difference. I'm not a person who thinks "small." It's just not my nature.

Lo and behold, I open up my calendar today to figure out what I need to do and I have a note that it's bloggers unite day. So here I am in front of my laptop, thinking about refugees and their plight. The terror that they have when they flee their home into the unknown, the sacrifices they make along the way, the loved ones they lose contact with as they move - it's overwhelming to take it all in.

I live a sheltered life. I'm the first to admit that. There are so many things that I want to and if this blog posts ignites a flame under someone to do SOMETHING then I've helped for the day. It's time to give these people a voice. Will you join us?

Here's some resources you can use to learn more about the plight of refugees (taken from http://unite.blogcatalog.com):

UK Refugee Services
http://www.redcross.org.uk/TLC.asp?id=81617

Lutheran Refugee Services
http://www.lirs.org/

Aotearoa-New Zealand Refugee Services
http://www.refugeeservices.org.nz/

United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrant Children
http://www.refugees.org/

Church World Service Immigrant & Refugee Program
http://www.churchworldservice.org/Immigration/index.html

Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children
http://www.womenscommission.org/

Additional Links/Resources
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/protect?id=3b8265c7a
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statelessness
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/road_to_refuge/default.stm

Will you blog with us? Post a badge, write a post and share the link here and help others learn more and find out how they can help too.