Neither Kathy nor I slept much last night. There was something in the air! Trusting tonight we will both crash out and make up for the lack of sleep we got last night.
Kathy and I headed for Wichita around 10:30. I needed to do a Costco run and Kathy asked if she could tag along. I was grateful for the company.
We had lunch at Chipotle before we hit Costco. It was good as usual and service was OK. There was a bit of a line when we got there but it moved fairly quickly.
We did the Costco thing. I forgot my phone in my car and had to go from memory to get what I needed. I did well as I didn’t forget anything. I couldn’t find their powdered sugar so didn’t get that but I looked. I didn’t break the bank when I checked out so all was well!
It was a beautiful drive through the hills going and coming. The grass is so green it can almost hurt your eyes. We saw cattle being unloaded onto the pastures and saw a couple of pastures being burned. I was surprised they were burning today as the wind was a blowing strong.
We are starting to get some responses from the Pen Pal program. So far we have nine or ten people that have signed up for the program and have touched base with over half of them so far. We shall see where this program goes. I hold no expectations for it but trust that both sides will find some value in it. I made a new match today as a letter came in yesterday wanting a match.
Read a heartbreaking story of a family from Emporia that has been broken up with the dad being deported. He leaves behind in Emporia two or three small children and his wife. She wrote about the amount of attorney fees they had to pay both before and after he was picked up. It was over $30,000. She also mentioned how much it cost to stay in touch with him while he was being held for 60 days. She provided him with funds so he could order things from the commissary plus funds she had to pay to communicate with him on a regular basis. He was dropped off in Mexico far from where he needed to go and she had to fund transportation for him to get to where he had family.
She didn’t say what his status was prior to being picked up although she mentioned how long the process was and how the tules kept changing creating an unclear path for him to citizenship. She has no idea when or if they will see each other again.
Her young family is now in financial disaster with the loss of his income and all the additional expenses. Man! What the hell are we doing? Can’t believe this man posed a threat to anyone and he certainly wasn’t the danger criminal that we were led to believe were going to be deported.
I am waiting to hear about the young single mom of an 8 year old that got picked up and has been held in Chase County Detention Center. She was to have her hearing today. I sent her an email and asked her to update me but she may not have the energy to do so, especially if she got bad news. Not sure what will happen to her young son if she gets sent back to Mexico.
Multiply these stories by the thousands and you get a glimpse of what life is like for far too many in the US right now. Do we really not have room for them? What are we so afraid of if we allow them to stay? Our immigration policy must be fixed so immigrants are given a clear path to citizenship. If they don’t or won’t follow it, then deport them but at least give them a clear path to pursue.
Bearing witness is not for the faint of heart. Man, these stories hurt my heart. We have to find a way to do better for all mankind, not just the rich white people.
Grateful to be restocked with things from Costco, grateful for lunch at Chipotle, and grateful for the extra sleep I will get tonight.