a world of hardened hearts

Sometimes I ask myself,

Does any of this matter? Do my words mean anything? Will they have any effect on those who hear them?

Will they result in contemplation or will they be filed into predetermined categories-- right and wrong?

When did right and wrong become synonymous with agree and disagree?

Do people yet exist who grapple for the truth? Who are willing to admit their shortcomings, their assumptions, their ignorance? Who want to push beyond that place into one of growth and learning?

Will you question and research and consider before making a judgment? Or are we locked in a futile battle in which no one will change sides? Is your opinion a locked door, and will you refuse to open it even if I find the key?

I want to believe that we are not a world of hardened hearts. I want to believe that people yet exist who care more about doing what is right than being right (or proving another wrong).

For some of us, it is a world of rhetoric. For others, it is life and death.

"God help me distinguish between a true desire for justice, goodness, and mercy and the compulsive need to be proven right." - Rachel Held Evans 

from the land where the sun still shines ~

I realized I have only posted one blog so far this year, so I'm trying to rectify that. My problem is that I don't know what to say. I feel like so much is happening but I have no way to describe it, at least not coherently. But I will do my best.

At work, I've been focusing on several different areas:

Food Workshops - We are trying to develop locally made products that can then be sold at the Farmers Market to support Iskashitaa. We're experimenting with some lesser known food resources--carob powder and Seville oranges, for example--and making a lot of unique food items. I try to schedule at least one workshop each week, and we've been making progress with the help of our main food workshop volunteer, Cadie.
I'm also working on scheduling food demonstrations for refugee cooks to teach one of their recipes using a local food item. At our first demo, we made Seville Orange Swirls and Seville orange juice, learning from a competent Iraqi cook. [This is particularly significant because Sevilles are sour and lots of people here view them as ornamental/useless, and they are everywhere.] Our next workshop is coming up in April, and we'll be learning to make lemon pickle relish from a Bhutanese woman.

Seville Orange Swirls

Faith Based Groups - I continue to try to work on Iskashitaa's connections with various faith-based groups around Tucson. I've been giving lots of presentations, particularly to United Methodist Women's groups, and working on various service projects with church groups/youth groups.

Food for Thought - This is a bi-monthly community potluck that I have been coordinating/developing for the past year or so. It is held at different churches around town, and we invite the congregations/community members/refugees to attend and bring a dish made from a family recipe. These gatherings are so much fun, and the amount of delicious food is overwhelming. Witnessing people come together across cultures to share food and get to know one another is one my favorite parts of working with Iskashitaa. The next potluck is coming up later this month, and I'm hopeful that it will be our best yet!

Our most recent Food for Thought dinner, held at St James UMC in January, had 60+ guests!

Citrus Season - This is primarily affecting the work of my colleague, Chloe, who is our harvesting coordinator. We are in the thick of citrus season, which is the busiest time of the year for us. We get several calls every day from homeowners interested in scheduling a harvest to donate their fruit. Right now, we are scheduled through the beginning of April with 2 harvests each week (and each harvest including multiple properties.) Tomorrow, we are going to a mobile home complex with 39 trees, and later this month, we'll be returning to an orchard with 100 trees for the second time this citrus season with a group from a local church. We have lemons, oranges, blood oranges, tangelos, pomelos, tangerines, Seville oranges, white grapefruit, pink grapefruit, and ruby red grapefruit. Grapefruit. We have more grapefruit than you have ever seen in your life. Really.


I've also been enjoying life outside of work:

Family Visits - My dad came to visit for a week in February, and we had a great time visiting Mount Lemmon, harvesting at Iskashitaa, spending time with my friends, and enjoying some of Tucson's incredible restaurants. Dad also enjoyed working on a variety of projects around our house, including but not limited to our freezer, our doors, and our shower rods. Next up is my mom visiting in a couple weeks, and we'll be going to the Grand Canyon & Sedona before coming down to Tucson. Then, in April, Erica will *hopefully* be coming to stay, too! I'm also holding out for visits from a few of my friends...

Concerts & Performances - Last Friday I got to see the show "Guys & Dolls" with my housemate, Kay. It was my first time to see the show, and it was fantastic! Last Saturday, I went to a special concert celebrating Black History Month featuring some locally known ethnic bands, and a few Iskashitaa musicians opened for them! It was such a fun night to spend dancing and talking with friends.

Time with Friends - In January, I got to spend a weekend in Flagstaff relaxing with some of my friends from the university. Since the New Year, my friend & former US-2 Darlene and I have started taking walks and having dinner together once a week. We have also had a couple potluck parties at my house that have been incredibly fun, especially when they featured impromptu singing/piano performances from some of my friends! I also continue to attend Wesley Foundation every Wednesday, and I'm also enjoying co-leading a Bible study for Wesley every Sunday.

It is hard for me to believe how quickly time seems to be passing. It is now March, and my program ends in July! I have busy months ahead of me, and I know the time will be gone soon. Because of that, I'm beginning to think about what I want to do with the time I have left and how best to value it. I'm also thinking about what I need to do at Iskashitaa so that I can leave things in a good place for whoever comes along after me.

I'm also enjoying the beautiful weather here...sorry to all my friends and family suffering in the cold! As my dear friend Joy says, this has been an update from the land where the sun still shines.

A recent harvest done by a local youth group in one afternoon! 

that's how it is

"It's too bad, but that's just how it is." 

With these words, many a "decent" person can dismiss injustices with a clear conscience. It is not such a difficult thing to do when faced with the overwhelming problems in our world: terrorism, drug cartels, corrupt governments, starving children, refugee camps, systemic injustices, racism, human trafficking, natural disasters. pollution, diseases...the list goes on. The fact that it is not possible for one person to address all of these wrongs seems to make it easier to justify not trying at all. The difference would be minuscule, so what's the point in trying?

I wonder if this was the thought process of the people who turned their backs on the Jews during the Holocaust, or refused to help the slaves seeking freedom in the northern US and Canada. It was too bad, but what could they really do to help? It is as if by recognizing that the situation is regrettable, we absolve ourselves of doing anything about it. As long as the injustice is not our reality, it is not at the forefront of our minds. After all, we donate our unwanted clothes, and contribute cans to the food drive, and volunteer occasionally, and give some extra cash to that charity. Isn't that enough? Because sure, the problems are there, but since we cannot imagine solving them in our lifetimes, we just have to accept it: that's how it is. It's too bad, but that's just how it is.


I do not want this to be my life. I do not want to be the person who turns away from the fight for justice because it is difficult and overwhelming. I want to recognize that even when change seems impossible, by neglecting to try we make that impossibility a certainty.

I refuse to accept "that's how it is."
I want my life to be about changing and challenging "that's how it is."

I want "that's how it is" to become "that's how it was."