I received a phone call this morning from the son of a woman who has visited me regularly for the past nine years. I am a bachelor, and her visits were prompts for me to straighten things up and become more organized. She finished what I'd started and added the attention and polish I lacked. His message was that her husband had been picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this morning.
My mind froze and I became aware of a weight on my chest – an immediate opening into compassion and pain as I wondered what she and her family might be experiencing and feeling.
I sent them my love and hopes for comfort during their grief and loss. The call troubled me for the rest of the day. I sat with it, and all I felt was the ache of not being able to help.
I was left with a question that kept repeating, over and over: How has this action made our country a better place?
Rich Podlesnik
Durango
