Stamping For Families Blog Hop

"A foreigner is a friend I have yet to meet."  

Pearl S. Buck

Some of my crafty friends were commiserating this past week on our heartbreak and feelings of helplessness and frustration over the plight of the families being separated at our borders.  So several of them formed a blog hop as a way for us to cope and also raise awareness and compassion for the situation.

Please note: my post and this blog hop is for providing awareness, love, compassion, not to discuss/debate politics, parties or set blame.  

Two weeks ago, I took a 10 day trip across the country with my son, who moved from North Carolina to California. I already miss him.  It is not lost on me how incredibly fortunate my family and I are to have been born in this country that allows us many freedoms that some across the globe do not have. I don't know the feeling of being so fearful for my family's lives and survival in a war torn country or country whose government commits violence against its citizens.  I don't know the feeling of choosing to leave my home country and flee to another country and be at the mercy of strangers. However, I am sure some of my ancestors did, as did many of Americans' ancestors.  I also cannot imagine after arriving in a safe place to then be treated as the families have been treated.  Parents separated from their children and not knowing when and if they will be reunited again, all because of their basic human desire for survival and life away from violence.

If you feel powerless, heartbroken, frustrated at how our friends from the south are being treated at our borders, there are several things you can do.  

1) Hug and appreciate your family a little more.

2) Use your creativity to spread love and kindness to someone special or even to a stranger.  

3) Practice RAOK.  BE KIND.  BE CARING. BE COMPASSIONATE.  Not just towards those just like you but especially to those who are not, including immigrants, legal or not, to every human you encounter.  That is what God demands of all of us.  

4) Donate money to the Reunification Fund by RAICES, The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, a nonprofit.  Or donate to one of the many other organizations devoted to helping those families detained.

5)Call your US Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support SB3036, The "Keep Families Together Act".

And lastly, you can create a card for someone and link it up with our hop!

I used the Hero Arts set, Family Portrait for the images in the heart.  The sentiments are all from Lil Inker Designs set, One Love.  I used three sentiments because they all speak volumes right now and I just couldn't choose.  My family is in no way a statement of what a family is.  There are many kinds of families and there is no one "right" kind.

Be sure and check out all the blogs below:

An InLinkz Link-up

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” 

Matthew 25:35

Family Always Blessings!