Finding Community

As the manic fervor of house purchasing continues, I am trying to balance all that with some of the reasons I came here in the first place. The Sonoran desert continues to entice me.  In the mornings, I try to walk or bike in my friend's neighborhood, hoping to see critters roaming in the early light of day.  I've seen mule deer, coyotes and even a bobcat foraging in the wash behind the house.  The open sky is magical at sunrise and sunset. Its beauty is contrasted by its harshness.  Only the toughest can survive.

And so, to feel relevant as a retiree, I seek out the most vulnerable humans. Having been changed by my experiences in Africa, I got to thinking there’s plenty of social justice activism that can be done right here in America. Although it’s controversial, I decided to help out at the border again. However, even though I'd volunteered before with Casa Alitas, the refugee center for asylum seekers, they’ve gotten much more stringent with their screening process. There have been protests and violence over the migration situation in Tucson, so security has been tight. Apparently on a busy day in the past Casa Alitas might serve 400 migrants. Now they serve up to 2,000 a day. While I hope to understand this crisis better, I am still on the side of compassion, looking only to alleviate suffering as apolitically as possible by providing much needed medical care.  Both the volunteer and AZ nursing license applications involve fingerprinting so I’m waiting to be funneled through the process. 

In the meantime, I am actively seeking a sense of community in this very "purple" state.  In an election year, one is acutely aware of the extremes of opinion that exist here in AZ.  Tucson, as a university town, is more liberal than much of the rest of state, but since there are so many of us snowbirds from the frigid north, there is likewise a mix of values.  In an effort to find others of like mind, I've been attending the Pima Friends Meeting, where support for asylum seekers is an active ministry.  And I needed to throw in a little fun as well, so I went contra dancing with a friendly group too.

There’s been rain in the desert lately, a symbol for hope that one day blossoms will return. So, I patiently wait.  



 

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