The downside of blogging is that you immerse yourself day after day, week after week in such depressing information. After all, there’s not always much you can do about these things, and it can really wear on the spirit.

But every once in a while, something comes up where blogging can clearly make a difference in something you can see and touch, and this is one of those times. (And besides, it’s nice to take the occasional cynicism break.)

Here’s the short version: Family makes it through Katrina and is almost through rebuilding when some asshole sets a stolen car on fire in their driveway. It burns down the house, and the insurance won’t cover a second rebuilding. The kids are very, very depressed. Go give money.

I happen to be one of these philosophical sorts. I believe when tragedy strikes, there’s always a reason somewhere. Sometimes that reason is to give others the opportunity to find their higher selves and reach out to help, and I’d say this is one of those times, too.

Miracle’s lost home on Dauphine in the Holy Cross District of the Ninth Ward.

I got a letter yesterday from Scout Prime over at First Draft. She wrote:

I hate asking to do this sort of thing but these Tulane students are doing a wonderful thing and there is really only so much help to be had in a city where practically everyone is struggling.

She went on to write about this family named Joseph, and especially a little girl named Miracle, who’s lost all hope of ever returning to her New Orleans home. And so Scout’s reaching out to the global village. (That would be us.) I hope everyone who reads this can spare $10 or $20. Because every time you start to feel like there’s no good in the world, you can remember the time you brought a sad little girl back home - and that’s worth a lot more than a few bucks. (And it’s tax-deductible.)

Go read Scout for rest of the story.

If 13,200 blog readers gave just $10 each, they could bring the Josephs home. And that would, indeed, be a miracle - one we can all be part of.

You can donate here, and you can leave a message for the family here.

UPDATE: I’ve cross-posted this at HuffPost. Since they have so many more readers (and thus, the potential to raise more money), please go over there and add a comment so it keeps the post high on the page. It doesn’t cost a thing!

ANOTHER UPDATE: Rude Pundit tells us the New Orleans rebuilding program has been drastically cut back, due to lack of funds. Imagine that. Guess Bush’s friends have stolen all the money.