To all the post saying “Um what’s the big deal… you guys do realize there are bombings everyday?” (Which I automatically hear in a Napolean Dynamite voice and an exhausted “gosssh” at the end, my answer is a big huge “yes! I do realize there are bombings and horrible atrocities every single day in this world and here is why it IS A BIG DEAL:
People come to the United States as a place of refuge. A refuge from living in a war zone. A refuge from living in daily fear. A refuge from living under dictatorships. A refuge from having their children slaughtered and turned into soldiers. They come here for the hope of freedom of a better life and a future for themselves and generations to come.
I know this from my own family. My family whose homes were taken over and they were sent to concentration camps and those who survived found themselves displaced. They came here for a new start.
I know this from my brother-in-law who fled El Salvador. His daily walk to school was a walk through a war zone.
I know this from the work my parents do in Kenya and my friend won a “lottery” to come live here.
I know this from my friend from Morocco who feels such freedom in being herself, being able to get an education and not fearing being raped and it going unheard and unnoticed.
I know this from a family memeber who lived 4 years in Israel and feared everyday for her and her families lives and regular drills and sirens became background noise and not till coming back here for awhile did she realize the true beauty of living here.
So yes, it is a BIG DEAL. What we have here is unique and should not be taken for granted.
My heart breaks for those other countries but it does not make it any less of a big deal. This is a safe haven for many. A refuge. They left the daily terror for hope and freedom from fear. We must protect that and hold that up high and not succumb to it or accept it.
We can come together as many people groups. Loving each other. Open conversations without persecution. Justice. A sense of hope that is grounded in something. That the greater good outweighs the deeds that wish to harm.
Above all else, love.
I hope that this will never be the norm here or in your mind is acceptable. I hope your heart continues to break for those suffering here and elsewhere and you reach out however you can. But being flippant does not help or make you seem above it. It seems complacent and removed from the human race.
Much love

…..came home to the most wonderful surprise from …..Thank you to my friend for your heart. This week and the last has been a lot. Aside from the rest of all I’ve been attempting to smile through, I lost a few loved ones this past week and passed a kidney stone and ended up going to the hospital. So getting her package was perfect timing. Truly kindred spirits and I love her so much.
So much awesomeness in one awesome box - an inspiration book she made with so much random beauty, love and strangeness only a few souls would truly find solace in it… sushi erasers, a handmade necklace, organic cherry lipgloss, Black Swan with Nina wearing a mustache tattoo… poems … quotes…pictures… bottles that say “drink me” … a gift for my boy… a heart… so.many.things