Last night one of my Pen Pal Volunteers sent me a story about the Pen Pal she has been writing to for several months. I asked her if she could put what happened into a story and she sent it to me. She did an excellent job writing the story. I did remove the last name of the Pen Pal to protect her privacy and then posted the story on our Love in Action Facebook page.
It has been viewed over 1,000 times so far and I’m sure that number will continue to climb. This story involves a lady that can’t be deported back to her home country as it is too dangerous. She has been moved to Louisiana which means she is waiting for another country to accept her and then she will be deported to a country she has never been in before. She will leave behind an 8 year old son, a 20 year old daughter and her husband.
Stories like this take all my energy and leave me in deep despair for a bit. I just can’t quite wrap my head around what we are doing as a nation and why so many people support these actions.
She did mention in her story how important it was to this family that the lady was able to send home notes to her family and the drawings she had made. Without Love in Action that would not have been possible. However, it still seems insignificant in the bigger picture.
Sometimes I have something like this hit me in the face and I wonder what I am doing organizing Go Bags in light of all that the deportees face. Yet it is something so I keep doing it. One drop in the ocean feels not enough sometimes. Yet I know I can’t stop as something is better than nothing.
Went to the Vo-Tech to have my teeth cleaned. For a beginning second year student, she did a good job. I got there at 12:30 and didn’t get out until 3:00. My teeth were really bad again. I have an appointment to go back in December and hoping that one won’t take so long. I am a plaque overachiever! My mouth is smaller than normal and my teeth are crowded together. The student got a good workout today trying to remove all the plaque in tight spaces.
I didn’t sleep much last night which isn’t unusual after a night where I got lots of sleep. I sure could take a nap right now but will do my best to stay up and go to bed fairly early.
Tomorrow I have my meeting with the Staff at the Detention Center to see if the Go Bag project is a go. I have several other things to discuss with them too. Fingers crossed it is a go!
I got two books of stamps today in the mail. I always appreciate getting stamps as it is a huge budget saver.
Thursday Roxy has her surgery so I will probably make two trips to town to take her and then go get her. I guess there is a chance she will have to spend the night but we shall see.
Friday I take Kathy to the KU Memory Care Unit for her annual check-up. I am meeting someone to pick up a box of collected donations for Love in Action, and we will also make a Costco stop.
Thankfully the weekend is free and full of empty space. Monday I have to go to Topeka for a doctor’s appointment.
I didn’t get the bags taken to the Center today. It was too hot to make eight trips to the car to load the car and then eight trips to unload it. It is to be a bit cooler tomorrow so will probably take them up tomorrow afternoon. It will be good to have space in my living room and dining room again after they are gone.
Still feeling a bit empty after reading the letter from last night. I give myself permission to allow all the feels and sometimes that can take a bit. Once I do that, I normally can refill myself fairly quickly. I don’t want to go into the meeting tomorrow not filled but that isn’t always something I can control.
Grateful my teeth are cleaned, grateful for the Pen Pal Volunteers, and grateful for the two books of stamps.