You may have heard that an earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Ritcher Scale (the largest one in almost 40 years and the fourth largest ever recorded) rocked the Indian Ocean Sunday morning.

It was centered off the west coast of Sumatra (Indonesia). But it was the tsunamis (aka tidal waves) caused by the tremors that did the most damage. At last count, more than 10,000 have died in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives. Surely the death toll will keep climbing as the days pass.

Obviously my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who’s been affected by this catastrophe. It’s in times like this that I remember just how privileged my life is and how easily I take things such as food, shelter, and physical safety for granted.

If you would like to help out, please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross (you can designate your donation to be used for the “International Response Fund", and where your donation is tax deductible) or the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (where you can also designate that your funds be used to help the victims of this tragedy).