Tonight we pray for the momma who is worried...

I think that the following prayer comes from the Midnight Mom Devotional that I used to draw from often on this blog.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is worried. Her heart is heavy. She's having trouble sleeping. She may even be crying inside but putting on a smile for others. Lord, there are so many things that we as mommas worry about daily and even nightly. You asked us to give it to You. Tonight, we give You our worries. We ask for Your peace. We thank You for taking care of all our needs. Please help this momma to find community and any help that she needs. Please grant her sleep tonight. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

This photo comes from Ward Weems on Facebook. The accompanying caption says, "A tenant family who lived in the Camp Croft area and was removed, The man was employed working for a neighboring farm and loses employment when moved. Near Pacolet, South Carolina, March 1941 in photograph by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration, Library of Congress."

This photo also comes by way of Ward Weems. The caption reads, "Decosta famile mother and children, Portuguese immigrants, and Farm Security Administration client borrowers, Little Compton, Rhode Island, December 1940 in a photograph by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration, Library of Congress."

Millions of people the world over are leaving their homes in search of safety and work. Many are fleeing the effects of global warming and climate change and must take their children with them as they go. Some never find what they are looking for and perish along the way and only God and their families know their names. 

These photos remind us that it was not so long ago that many families in the United States were forced to move, traveling north or west in order to escape bad conditions. Political and economic refugees from fascist governments came as well, and are still coming. We should remember their struggles and trials when we consider the mommas and families seeking sanctuary in the United States today and include them in our prayers.

We're all going to be dealing with this...

 

"Yesterday is worth a million to me..."

She walked outside and made her way down towards the hen house. She recalled that big ole red rooster a few other chickens and a couple cows walked across the field of her mind. She saw him standing in the door of the house but he had already crossed the river. She began digging in the flowers thinking of spring though the chill of fall had set in, but with each dirty flower bulb she could already see the bloom. She heard the children swinging from the tree she heard them call for 'Mama!' tho she was as alone as she could be....there comes a time when today ain't worth a dime....but yesterday ...yesterday is worth a million to me.... 
--Written by: T. Vandiver Adams, photo: Tasha Tudor, and taken from Kimberly Wright at Appalachian Americans

A mine worker and his son go to a ball game and...

This very touching photo is making the rounds among my Facebook friends and many Facebook groups that I belong to. The photo is said to show a coal miner coming straight from work to this past  weekend’s University of Kentucky Blue-White Game in Pikeville, Kentucky with his son.

University of Kentucky Head Basketball Coach John Calipari was touched by the picture and posted the photo on his Facebook page this morning and committed to providing VIP tickets to the miner and his family at a home game at Rupp Arena. The coach used his post to talk about his family's ties to mining.

We all want this photo and the story going around with it to be true. We want to live in a world where parents bond with their kids. We deeply appreciate the sacrifice and the exhaustion captured in the photo. We want this to be a good lasting memory for father and son. We know that look on that mine worker's face and we can see ourselves in it. We appreciate Coach Calipari remembering where he came from and his generosity, and we wish that others who have moved up and moved out would do the same. It is so tough in the mining towns and hollers, and especially in Southeast Kentucky, that people need a stand-in who sacrifices and gets recognition and a reward. That mine worker could be so many struggling and deserving people who want to bond with their kids and grandkids. Whether the photo and the story are what is being claimed or not, there are great truths here.

God bless that man and his son and Coach John Calipari.

God bless every parent and grandparent who gives or tries to give to their young ones.

God bless every hard-working person and every unemployed person with that look on their face and everyone who knows and feels what that look means.

There is an opportunity here to consider some important questions. Why don't parents and grandparents have more time with their young ones? Why are we so tired so much of the time? And what about all of the other people---moms who work in their homes and factory workers and white-collar workers---who also run from their work to pick up their kids and get them to an event that they can share in? Where is their recognition? Why aren't there more Coach Caliparis? Why are the media companies, the social media companies, the electronics industry, top performers, the so-called "influencers," and so many others trying to separate parents and children with tablets, phones, TikTok, and so many other forms of individualized forms of entertainment? Why is it that a father and son at a ball game without a phone in their hands is news?

My final thoughts on this are kind of simple. We needed help getting Black Lung legislation passed recently but it was hard finding allies. We need help now with the Warrior Met Coal strike in Alabama as those mine workers have been on strike almost eighteen months. Those workers and their families need our support. I am so happy to see support for this great man and his son, but some of that support is coming from folks who would not live next door or sit next to this man and his family, much less support mine workers when the help is urgently needed. Let's make solidarity with one another and care for all of our kids a lifestyle, something we do 24/7 and become famous for.  

An important reminder to non-Native parents before school starts

Taken from the Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church and Native Americans Facebook pages:

As summer comes to an end and the school year begins, if you have non-Native kids please take the time to help them understand that many Indigenous children wear their hair long and/or in braids.
Hair is sacred in many Indigenous cultures, our hair is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and identity. Some teach that your spirit lives at the base of your neck and spine which protects you. The longer the braid grows to the earth the more grounded you are.

 
#BackToSchool #LongHair #NativeCulture #IndigenousTradition

Pic: via Pete Cardenas

For our kids (and parents)...

 

We All Want This For The Young People...

 

And quite a few older people could learn these things as well. You can't teach what you don't know.