bird by bird

It's been one week post-election, and man I'm still feeling so. blue. More than blue, I'm feeling what Holly Golighly in Breakfast at Tiffany's calls the "mean reds." She explains, "the blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?" That's precisely how I've been feeling these past 7 days, with the only difference being that I know exactly what I'm afraid of.  I'm afraid that the Marriage Equality Act is going to be repealed, taking away what I consider a basic human right for gay Americans and a lot of my closest friends.  I'm afraid that Donald Trump is going to deport or incarcerate 3 million illegal immigrants, including children, (a s he has promised ) thus ripping apart families and ruining the lives of some of Americ...

I've debated writing this post primarily because I don't consider myself a very political person. I watch the news and I proudly wear that little sticker when I vote, but when it comes to politics, I'll admit that I could use a refresher of my 11th grade government class. There is a lot that I don't know. But, there is also a lot that I do know. And that is this: Immigration reform is important to me because immigrants are important to me. I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at a multicultural center in South Dakota where our mission was "Welcoming the Stranger," and I've tried to live my life that way because we have all been strangers at some point. I have worked as an ESL teacher in South Dakota and in NYC, and I want a world of bridges, not of walls. That's one reason I'm with her. I earned my bachelors and my master's degree at a state school, and I had scholarships, and teaching assistantships, and part time jobs. I worked re...