When I entered college, some pretty scary things happened. At the hands of the class ahead of us, all in the name of fun and welcoming us to the sisterhood, we had the bejeebies scared out of us. And I loved every minute of it.
But today, one of the very scary ones from back then, who is really a sweetheart, shared an article that put real fear in my heart.
And frustration in my mind.
Where have I been? Why wasn’t I aware of this before? Have I really had my head buried in the sand, or has this story been tucked away between the pages of stories of political rants and celebrity breakups?
The story she shared was this one. “Waves of immigrant minors present crisis for Obama, Congress.” Oh my stars. They are expecting an estimated 60,000 children to cross over the US border unaccompanied by an adult, based on the numbers so far. Some as young as three years old.
Y’all. What?!
Some of these children have a parent who is already in this country. Some are leaving an abusive home situation behind. Some are trying to avoid the drugs and gangs that are a huge problem in their communities.
Babies. They’re just babies. They haven’t had time to dream, let alone figure out how to make it on their own.
They are being put in military installations for “keeping” for now. I have no idea what comes next. Deportation? Tracking down family in the US? Adoption? I don’t know. But I know my heart is breaking for these children, some of whom are abused during their journey here or maybe after as well–there were 809 abuse complaints against the border patrol between 2009 and 2012. Again, I cannot wrap my brain around this fully. All of these children. Homeless. Parentless. Without anyone to love them and hug them and encourage them. And to listen. Oh. I have nothing.
Really. Nothing.
And I wish I could fix this. I wish I could change it. I wish there were a fix to this that I could be a part of. I am so lucky. As are my children. And it only becomes more obvious to me each day. They, on the other hand, seem to be oblivious. And you know what? I’m thankful for that too. I want them to have a childhood without all the worries of this world pressing down on them.
Well, Aub, my 18 year old college sophomore isn’t oblivious. Most of the time she gets how fortunate she is. Like the fact that she’s learning at a college that has been around since 1836. In a country where higher learning for females is quite normal and accepted. And in a lot of cases expected.
Unlike in Nigeria.
This came across my screen today.
A little over a month after 272 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen in the dark of night, last Thursday twenty women were kidnapped from their settlement in Nigeria. Three men were also taken after they tried to stop the gunmen.
#bringbackourgirls
Yes, my heart cries out.
But I’d also like to start this.
#bringbackourpeace
In the wake of yet another school shooting and women being taken as though they have no rights to lives of their own and little ones traveling on a journey they have no idea how it will end–all by themselves–
please. Bring back peace.
What breaks my heart the most in all of this is a selfish thing. It’s that I can’t change it. I can’t fix it. I can’t make it stop or make things better.
Oh if I only could.
And so I ask, what can we do? To take care of these motherless children coming to this country looking for a better way of living? To protect those half a world away from being taken from their homes by people with guns, and therefore power, and made to submit to a life not of their own choosing? To protect our own children and friends and family whose lives are being taken away by people with intent and weapons and no respect for human life?
I don’t know. But I am encouraged and thankful for the thoughts of my blogger friend at “My So Called Glamorous Life: The Adventures of a Domestic Engineer:”
I don’t know what we can do, what anyone can do, but I refuse to believe that this is a lost cause.
Here’s to hanging on to hope, keeping our heads out of the sand, refusing to let fear take us over, and reaching for peace. Always.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 
Well said that person! I couldn’t agree more, except there is something we can do, and you are already doing it. If we voice these issues and show we care about them then they can go around the world the way #bringbackourgirls did. We showed world leaders that a whole lot of people in every country want a thing to be done. And they actually got off their bums and tried. Amazingly. So don’t give up hope, this is the start of something. The world has to change now that so many of us gave a voice. #bringbackourpeace I like it. Along with maybe #bringbackrealdemocracy ?
Thank you for reading and for making time to share your thoughts. I agree. Maybe if we continue to voice our concerns, perhaps eventually someone will hear us, and it will make a difference. Please drop by and visit again soon.
There isn’t a lot we can do in the large sense, but there are tons of things that we can do in the small sense–at least that is what I tell myself. I love the image from the Buddhist story about how the wings of a dragon fly on one side of the planet can cause a hurricane on the other side. Individually we can make a difference when we are peaceful and throughful and loving. at least that is what I tell myself.
I am not familiar with this Buddhist story. Thank you for sharing it. What a beautiful image. As is the image of how we can make a difference–by being peaceful, thoughtful, and loving. This touches my heart and resonates with my soul. Thank you again for sharing what’s on your heart. ❤
Keep helping the some that you can. Share the stories so we all know. Keep the conversation going. That my friend shines lights in dark places and helps keep us all on the journey. HUGS and THANK YOU!
I’m trying, Michelle, but it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all at times, isn’t it? I do want to keep the conversation flowing, as these matters are too important to let pass without trying to do something. There are PEOPLE who are being hurt. Thank YOU for reading and always being a great encourager. Your light shines bright my friend. And hugs right back.