Day 5: Colibrí

Sister Julie and I went to Albertson's today. Julie is no taller than five feet and wears Birkenstocks. 

As we were driving there, I noticed a small silver ring on her finger. I asked her where it was from. She smiled and said it was a colibrí (hummingbird). 

The colibrí transcends borders as it migrates from the United States to Mexico each year. It symbolizes hope, perseverance, and individual strength—all principles that the migrant families embody. 

In indigenous lore, the hummingbird is a messenger between the living and the dead. Julie's ring made me think about all those that die coming across the border, all those that lose their culture, all those that (in a sense) must be re-born in an entirely new different and strange world.

I thought about birth and death and migration and flight. And when I saw a dead bird on the ground outside Annunciation House, it seemed fitting. I took a picture of it. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 62: What Gets Me Through the Day?

Image
I went around and asked some volunteers and guests in the shelter this question today: What gets you through the day?  A smattering of answers below...  1. Written words 2. When someone shares a thought, or story, or opinion, or joke, or any vulnerability, or any strength 3. Cooking chickpeas and stews 4. To-do lists 5. Sunny days 6. Hope 7. Saying good morning and sleep well 8. A funny facial expression 9. Sarcasm 10. Engaging with someone's humanity for the sake of truly being with the person 11. Asking good questions When I try to answer the question, I'd like to ask myself: Is this enough to turn my days into my life?  (Post inspired by a poem I read this evening.) 
Read more

Day 51: If You Could Describe the Shelter in a Sentence...

Image
Today during shift, I asked all of the volunteers to describe Casa del Refugiado in a sentence. This is what they came up with:  "Nothing here works. Only the people work." - Sarah (Indiana)  "It doesn't check any boxes for me—no windows, no heating, no air, no oven, no real beds for guests—and yet it's the most welcoming building I've ever been in." - Bella (Georgia)  "Donde no hay amor, pon amor, y sacarás amor."   "Where there is no love, give love, and you will find love."   - Abi (Kentucky)  "When you work here, it feels like you're simultaneously building an airplane and flying it."  - Grace (New York) "It's where we welcome the stranger."  - Matt (Vermont) " It feels like both a starting point and an ending point."  -David (New York)  "Restoración de la dignidad para todos, incluyendo nosotros."  "Restoration of dignity for everyone, including ourselves." -  Regina (Cali...
Read more

Day 55: Survivors

Image
I spoke to two girls at the shelter in Juarez today who told me that they left Guatemala because their dad was abusing their mom. Their mom was in the kitchen as they were telling me, so they brought me into a separate room to share the details.  It's been two years since they left, but they didn't want her to have to relive it.  They said that it started with small things that got worse with time. He would come home angry, say and do things he didn't mean, and then apologize in the morning.  When he began making death threats, she packed up and left with the children.  The family has been in Juarez for two years. They've been in and out of detention centers, trying to ask for asylum in the U.S. The oldest girl—just sixteen—told me she was violated several times on their journey and in detention. She said that the boys at school in Juarez asked her to send nudes and threatened to kill her if she didn't. They did the same to her twelve-year-old sister.  She was s...
Read more