Day: February 24, 2017

My refugee donation today is a humble bath mat for $12.99.

Lily and Erasto, an immigrant and a refugee, came to Albany, N.Y. several years ago, worked, went to school and became social workers. They wanted to thank you for your generosity and compassion for the newly-arrived refugees. They wanted you to see the mini welcome bags they helped distribute to refugee children entering the Albany school system.

Last week, the Albany City School District held a week-long Newcomer Academy for refugee students during the winter break. The purpose was to help them become familiar with school procedures, teachers and other activities and opportunities.

“Thanks to your Army of Good,” wrote one of the refugee volunteers, “we were able to distribute mini-bags of shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, ball, jump rope, and colored pencils.” Larger welcome bags for refugee children will be distributed in a few weeks, thanks also to your compassion and generosity.

When some hearts turn to stone, the Army Of Good turns to love and empathy. Time to melt some hardening hearts. These people are no threat to you and your family or community. By all accounts, they help invigorate and refresh America.

The refugees coming to our area came here legally, were thoroughly investigated, are eager to work, pay taxes and contribute to our society. They are, to me, part of the life blood and very soul of America, when we slam the doors shut on them, we slam them on us.

We starve our spirits, we close ourselves off to the best of the American experience, a beautiful and flowing stream of safety and opportunity. These donations are who we are.

Abraham Lincoln said that he came to believe that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. He said to ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s down. My own idea is to fight cruelty with compassion, I believe compassion is more powerful.

You are making an enormous difference in the lives of the newly-arriving refugees when you send donations through the Amazon Gift Page set up by the U.S. Committee On Refugees And Immigration. They have suffered greatly, have lost everything and need everything.

The gifts have been chosen to address their needs, they are inexpensive and essential. You choose your gift, click on the USCRI address mail button and that’s it. Takes a second and pennies to change a life and send a message. Our doors and hearts are open to the weary and oppressed, you are welcome here.

The donations are my daily prayer, today I’m purchasing some bath mats. This is my opportunity to do a bit of good every day.

The refugees are still arriving, and the need is great. They need the basic essentials of life – socks, pots, silverware, school supplies, blankets.

You can visit the gift page here. I thank Eraso and Lily for standing up and showing you what you have done.

Maria told me she is in love with her sari, she says she feels like a Queen in it and it feels as she has been waiting her whole life to wear one. I said maybe she could wear it here, or around the farm. She seemed surprised at that idea, but I pointed out that it wasn’t like she dressed like everybody else in town, a sari would not surprise anyone here.

“It just seems like me,” she said. “You bet,” I replied.

I am thinking, I said, of a photo of you shoveling manure in your sari.  You do it in your wedding dress all the time, why not in a sari? I am sure she will wear it in her studio sometime, it will help her feel close to India and her experience there, and to the women who are making the potholders she taught them how to make.

I like the idea of that photo, I am sure I will get the chance to take it. If she loves it that much, she will wear it.

Wherever she is, Maria seems to find animals and animals seem to find her. She got up the other morning, opened the curtains and there was a  monkey with her baby sitting comfortably out on the railing. Today is Maria’s last day in India, her quite remarkable journey is nearing an end. Tomorrow morning, she begins a grueling three day journey, several long flights, several different countries.

She should land in America sometime Sunday morning, our time, Monday in India time. She will, I imagine, be exhausted, both emotionally and physically. I am thinking she will need rest and some space to readjust, I’ve gotten her favorite foods, ordered some flowers.

I imagine she will need to digest this trip, it was intense every minute in a number ways, and wonderful in many others. I think it was a coming of age for her, I think it will be transformative.

My Creative Fellowship did not turn out as planned. Too many surprises, storms, computer crashes, distractions, chores and Maria’s trip was much in my head. I didn’t quite grasp how distracting that would be. It is not so easy to write well when a big chunk of your soul is suddenly gone.

At the same time, I suspect she will be very happy to come home – to the donkeys, the farm, and also, to me. We belong together, I have certainly learned that in the past two weeks.

She will be working this trip out for a long time, I think it will show up in her work and in her life, this, in a sense, is her calling, fusing her art and using it for doing good, especially for women. The women in India got right to her heart, they have not seen the last of each other. She made some powerful friendships with some amazing women. You are one of them, I said on the phone. She seemed startled.

This will open a lot of doors for her, in her mind, in her art.

I witnessed first hand how hard she had to work to get to India, how many obstacles to overcome, most all of them now, how many fears she had to work through and set aside, how much she had to learn. She was not a world traveler,  has mostly and until recently stayed within her comfort zone. That has just greatly expanded.

Maria  saw some awful and wrenching things and explored the limits of compassion and of what it is possible to do in a world with so much suffering. She made some lifelong connections and this work in India will now, I think, be a permanent part of her life.

If anything, I feel closer to her than ever before, and have even more respect and admiration for her. I know well what it took to get from there to here, and it is just the beginning of this transformation for her. From beginning to end, this was not an easy journey. She did so well. She is just getting started. Sometimes, I have learned, late starts are the best starts.

Even in India, we always found a way to talk, through texts, photos, phone calls. Just got the AT&T bill. Love is not cheap. She got me a present and I can’t wait to see what it is. She is bringing  back lots of fabrics and I can’t wait to see those either. What a treat to see how all of this begins showing up in her work.

I told her she has been living a big and exciting life these last two weeks and is returning to a small farm in a small town. It will take some adjusting. Several people in town have asked her if she will consider giving a talk about her trip. I hope she does.

Tomorrow, I’ll take the salmon filets out of the freezer and thaw them out. I’m make sure the house is neat. I feel like one of the Captain’s wives in Nantucket, peering out over the ocean to see their husbands return from the sea. If feels like my heart is coming home.

This time, she won’t be traveling in a blizzard.