The events of the past few weeks have been dizzying. That’s on purpose. The “flood the zone” style of governance on display is meant to confuse and disorient both the public and the media. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, not sure what to believe, confused—that’s literally the strategy.

The rapid change on multiple fronts can paralyze us, overwhelm us. Please friends, don’t let that happen. You can’t fix or change everything, but you can do one thing. You can make one change; you can just take one step. And you can begin a journey of meaning and joy with that step. Do small things with great love, Mother Teresa said.

If the demise of our democracy bothers you, you might wonder what you can do. I’ve decided to drill down on one issue and put my effort into doing small things with great love. I believe it is never wrong to advocate for the disadvantaged. I’ll start with the obvious, but also the thing that this newsletter is about: welcome.

Here’s what I’m doing: I am welcoming fearlessly. Among the many cruel and capricious executive orders recently signed by the president, two directly impact refugees. Because I have a passion for helping refugees, and I am already involved there, I am leaning in to that space.

One executive order completely shut down the program allowing refugees (who are completely vetted, documented, legal immigrants) into the U.S. Many who already had plane tickets, including Afghan nationals who risked their lives to help American soldiers in Afghanistan and were promised safe shelter, are now left in harm’s way. 

Refugees do not choose to become refugees. They flee from their homes because of war, violence, threat of persecution or death. The tiny percentage who are resettled are meticulously vetted by our government and the United Nations. They come here legally. Cutting off this program, which has enjoyed broad bipartisan support for years, will not make our country better or safer. It will simply harm people who have literally gone through all the proper legal channels to find a new life and contribute to our society. It will separate families. Across the globe, there are 26 million refugees. More than half of them are children.

from pexels.com by Ahmed Akacha

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