Brrr... so much of the country is freezing right now that it is difficult to find a warm spot for those with meager resources or no place to live. On the road, large transport trucks are dwarfed by the size of storms and everyday travelers face unknown dangers. Last night, in my dreams, I travelled to some of these places and saw a little military family motoring from California to New Jersey with their year-old baby and little puppy.
At the time moving arrangements were made, 10 days seemed like plenty. Now, as they face delay after delay, they wonder, “What if we don’t get there by the time the moving truck arrives? What if all our worldly possessions are left where we cannot afford to retrieve them?” This can be gut wrenching. Yet, in some cases, the struggle is to stay alive. I travel back in time to a mountainous area of Northern California, where a similar storm stopped the car of another little family.
Alone and with inadequate supplies, they finally set out on foot. Hours blend into days as they fight the blizzard. Finally, the young mom can go no further. With her baby, she huddles against a snow drift as her husband continues his trek to find help. I think, “What a wake up call for us all; the importance of adequately preparing when we set out and always having a contingency plan for freak storms.”
Perhaps all of this is a metaphor for the political chill that has settled over this land of late, taking us ever deeper into the freezing realms of dissent. Maybe it is time we all brave the elements and reach out to each other, across party lines, particularly to the people who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation. These people are called Indians, but they are also our forefathers, our sisters and our brothers. In the midst of this wintry blast, far too few of these families have adequate resources. Most specifically, they have too little heat and they need our help. Their elders and babies are literally freezing to death. They fear that without others knowing of their plight, they may perish. It is a new day, my friends. What is our contingency plan for this terrible storm? Will you help?
