Friday, February 22, 2013
Sharing a bit of wisdom (in between story posts! )
Seven Life Lessons I Learned from an Evergreen
By Eden E. Hopper
EvergreenEden.com
1. The evergreen tree lives up to its name every day of its life, staying true to its colors, even when the world is grey.
2. It shares its peace and beauty with all who come near it, no matter what they look like or what they believe.
3. It sways and dances, whispering strength to all its neighbors and its fuzzy little tenants, when the harsh Santa Ana winds come whipping up the face of the mountain.
4. It makes a safe, warm haven for those it harbors in its care, giving them shelter and comfort from the cold.
5. It bows gracefully when the heavy snows come down.
6. It stays firmly rooted to the ground through it all.
7. And last but not least, it grows just a little bit everyday as it strives to reach towards heaven!
Those are 7 things I need to remember myself!
Kira sandoval :o)
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Mexican- Part 1: The decision
Living in extreme poverty, in a small town on the outskirts of a bustling metropolis, a small family is struggling to survive. The father watches as men and women, who were born into wealth, toss scraps of food to other families like his as if they were filthy, nasty vermin.
He vows to do something to change his family's life. He wants something better for his four children- not necessarily to become like the wealthy he sees daily, but at least better than they are at the moment. He views the wealthy as uncaring shells, who only worry about where the next million will come from or how to throw the biggest and most expensive party to increase their social status. The Mexican just wants his family to live without hunger, have clean clothes, have a solid floor beneath his feet, and a roof that will not fall apart or leak on them.
He weighs his options very carefully. His current job working in the fields is labor intensive, and pays poorly. If he is lucky he will bring home 75 pesos per day, and that is working sunrise to sunset most days, often 7 days a week. Most of the time he sneaks discarded food into his hankerchief to bring home to his children, food that otherwise would just be tossed to feed the pigs. His house has dirt floors, and no refrigeration or electricity. His wife washes their clothes in the river nearby. Living on $300-500 pesos a week barely covers food- the cost of meat has just gone up. Medical expenses are even higher. His two older children had to drop out of school because they could no longer afford uniforms or the tuition.
His cousin left a number of years ago to find work up north. Just the other day his cousin had written to him, and told him how much better life was and how much money he was able to send back to his family. The cousin suggested that he go live with him for a while. There he would have a place to stay, and a job right away, and he would then be able to send money every month to his family.
The Mexican has seen many other men of his town leave for the north, and then seen how their families have prospered with the money sent to them.
He decides to take that offer of his cousin's. At least for a little while, just to see if what his cousin told him was true. Trying would be better than nothing, he thought. For his family, this option was the best.
A month later, The Mexican finds himself in the United States of America...
He vows to do something to change his family's life. He wants something better for his four children- not necessarily to become like the wealthy he sees daily, but at least better than they are at the moment. He views the wealthy as uncaring shells, who only worry about where the next million will come from or how to throw the biggest and most expensive party to increase their social status. The Mexican just wants his family to live without hunger, have clean clothes, have a solid floor beneath his feet, and a roof that will not fall apart or leak on them.
He weighs his options very carefully. His current job working in the fields is labor intensive, and pays poorly. If he is lucky he will bring home 75 pesos per day, and that is working sunrise to sunset most days, often 7 days a week. Most of the time he sneaks discarded food into his hankerchief to bring home to his children, food that otherwise would just be tossed to feed the pigs. His house has dirt floors, and no refrigeration or electricity. His wife washes their clothes in the river nearby. Living on $300-500 pesos a week barely covers food- the cost of meat has just gone up. Medical expenses are even higher. His two older children had to drop out of school because they could no longer afford uniforms or the tuition.
His cousin left a number of years ago to find work up north. Just the other day his cousin had written to him, and told him how much better life was and how much money he was able to send back to his family. The cousin suggested that he go live with him for a while. There he would have a place to stay, and a job right away, and he would then be able to send money every month to his family.
The Mexican has seen many other men of his town leave for the north, and then seen how their families have prospered with the money sent to them.
He decides to take that offer of his cousin's. At least for a little while, just to see if what his cousin told him was true. Trying would be better than nothing, he thought. For his family, this option was the best.
A month later, The Mexican finds himself in the United States of America...
Friday, February 15, 2013
Storytime- Immigration NEEDS to be addressed PROPERLY
Ok. I did not watch the State of the Union address... I prefer to not delve into politics. However, in light of some topics and some heated discussion over a photo I shared on Facebook a week ago, I'm going to go there.
This is the photo that sparked the whole discussion (including the caption that came with it):
Caszandra Castillo, 5, left, cries as she is held by her father, Carlos Perez, who lives in Mexico, for the first time in three years. Caszandra’s mother, Sandra Castillo passed her through the U.S.-Mexico border fence at Border Field State Park in San Diego Sunday, Jan 18, 2009 for the brief visit. The park is often used by families to communicate through the fence. #NotOneMore Stop the separation of our families!
It is important to note that this section of fence has since been closed off, and families are no longer able to utilize it for this purpose.
I orginally shared this photo to reflect the reality of life- copied from my post: There are so many factors to this sort of situation- as many have said, its not black and white... however, America/USA is also known as "land of the free," "the melting pot," etc... what is the "american dream?" Its not a house with a white picket fence, and a family with two kids and a dog anymore... it had become convoluted and distorted..
America has changed dramatically over the last 200+ years. But what is happening right now with the immigration issue is just the same as what happened with the issue of slavery, womens rights, African-American rights, the Japanese-Americans during WW2, then the Muslim community... now its the Hispanic community.
What is the difference? NOTHING.
Now, what is the American Dream? It is not a house with a white picket fence and a family with two children an a dog anymore. Go ahead, ask someone tomorrow what they think the American Dream is. It will be different for everyone. I'm sure you will find, however, one common thread in everyone's version of "the dream." The ability to prosper without judgement. Is that too difficult?
I am about to embark on a journey and going to share it with everyone, telling a story about an immigrant's dreams. Now, this story may be purely fictional, but I have brought in elements of truth and things that actually did happen to people I personally know. This story will be told in a series of posts, because I will be very detailed. I am still working on the story, but I wanted to make sure that everyone is ready to read this. Like I said, this is a fictional story, but will be raw, truthful, and contain elements of reality. Later on I will tell my family's story.
At the end, my wish is for people to reconsider thier viewpoints on immigration. I want people to realize that we are all human. As this image so nicely tells us:
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