Yesterday was the kind of day you wanted to bundle up and drink hot tea. The cold rain cuts right through you. It’s different than the dry cold of a snow, even the bitter cold we had in the beginning of February. We keep wondering, when do we get weather closer to the spring that’s supposed to come soon? Next week, theoretically. We’ll see.
The nine-year old looked out the window as his mother left for work only to see her encountered by ICE. Not quite sure what was going on the older brother knew and held the little one back from running outside as his mother was pulled into the SUV.
The cold wet day seemed even colder and wetter, now without the mother. What do we do now? In the damp, searching for the mother whisked away. And how will the boys fare without an adult to care for them? Is there a promise of resurrection here or just a Lent that will never end?
Prayer for the Day
You created us all as your children, O God,
Giving us eyes to see and ears to hear, but we blind and deaf;
Your Spirit calls us to welcome all who call on your name,
But we draw boundaries separating us from each other.
Move us from our failure of ourselves and of you,
So we are able to speak your truth to the world around us.
In the name of him who opens our hearts to your truth,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come back from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone.
Anne Frank, from Dairy of a Young Girl (1929-1945)
Children experience toxic stress when they are suddenly separated from their parents, which negatively impacts brain development. They are also at greater risk of developing chronic mental health conditions that include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as physical conditions such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Psalm 22:1