I went to Emporia with a friend around noon today. We met another friend and had lunch at Radius. Great food and even better conversation.
The three of us went to a meeting with the Director of the Spanish Speakers of Emporia group. The man running the group is impressive and we share many of the same values and beliefs about the work he is doing. He is broadening his reach and hopes to create chapters in the other cities of KS that serve a high population of Spanish speakers.
I am searching for a way to help connect people to best meet the needs of the immigrant population in our state. There are needs in getting documents, work permits, driver’s licenses, etc. There are also needs for the families that are left behind if a loved one is deported.
The group I met with today is meeting those needs in a variety of ways. They work with a legal service that has a reasonable cost to help immigrants in their citizenship quest. They also provide employment services and are a wonderful resource to let people know where they can go to get their needs met.
Not sure where this is all going but I certainly want to partner with them in some way. Many people are looking for ways to help their friends and neighbors that are caught up in all the political chaos and are not sure what to do. Partnering with this group that is already doing the hard work seems possible.
We are all going to sit on what we learned today and then will be meeting again to come up with a more definitive plan on a way to work together in the future. Not sure that I will be taking the lead role on this project but there is a possibility of merging the Love in Action project with this group if my little project continues to grow and expand.
The two friends I met with today are the two that are providing financial oversight to the Love in Action project. I gave them a list of all the contributions and amounts and what I have spent so far. It feels good to be able to share the details with someone.
Have had lots of conversation with Tagen today about his truck. I am meeting with him tomorrow and hope that we get things resolved. I want the responsibility of the truck taken off my load. Not sure what steps we need to take to do that yet but hoping we can get it all figured out tomorrow.
Got my water bill today and noticed that I had a late fee and they didn’t have record of me paying my bill last month. I checked my banking account and the check cleared but not until yesterday. Wonder why it took three weeks for a check I mailed from Cottonwood Falls to get to another place in Cottonwood Falls. Think I will deliver it in person from now on.
Got another package in the mail today for the Love in Action project. This one had lots of note cards plus a check. People are so incredibly generous. Several more people ordered things via Amazon to be delivered to the Detention Center.
I need to either call or go to the Detention Center tomorrow to see if they have any immediate needs. It is good to get an update as to how the opportunity to send a card is being received. They should have started receiving lots of items from the wish list by tomorrow. Bet it feels a bit like Christmas to them.
My radio interview is to be aired tomorrow. I hope to catch it live but they should post it on their website afterwards so I can catch it then if I miss it live. We talked for over ten minutes and the segment is only for two minutes so hard to know what he will put on air. Trust it will sound OK.
Saturday Kathy and I are going to Topeka to protest. I have room in my car for at least two more and could take three more with us. We will leave CWF around 8:30 so we have time to take a potty stop before we go to the Capital grounds for the rally. We will probably eat lunch somewhere in Topeka before we come home. Holler if you want to ride along.
Next week has a lot of empty space. I’m sure some of it will fill in but it is nice to have a clean slate to start my week. Feels like it has been a bit since I have had several empty space days in a row.
So appreciative of my friend that organized the meeting today. I am impressed with the work this organization is doing and for the potential of a partnership. Together, we can do great things.
I think partnerships like this is how we start to rebuild this country. Building a community of people that care and are willing to work together to serve all is the key to the future success of our country. Grateful to find people already in the trenches doing the hard work.
I’m a bit exhausted this evening. It was an exciting meeting but I came home feeling very drained. More and more when I am out and about I come home feeling drained. I am able to hold my energy above neutral while I am out but I feel the toll that takes on my body. Grateful I have quiet space to come home to and can refill and recharge so I can go out again. These days I need lots of quiet time before I go back out.
Working hard to stay in my observer role and not get attached to any outcomes. This path ahead will be full of unexpected twists and turns, starts and stops, and detours and leaps of faith. If it is meant to be together we will find a way to move this project ahead.
Grateful for my friends and their contacts to put this all together today, continuing to be grateful for those supporting the Love in Action project, and grateful for a new way to be in service to my friends and neighbors.