La question du mois...

**The women's club I am a member of proposes a 'question of the month' each month. It is open to all members for response, and is a way for people to share feelings on various topics. The responses from members are then posted on the club's blog. I thought I would share the question and my response with you each month.

"We run by choice so they have a voice" Running for refugees, circa 2009

Question of the month: This month's question deals with the impact of larger world issues on our personal lives. What are your feelings about the current refugee crisis? Can we continue to live our ordinary lives in the aftermath of large scale conflicts and tragedies?

I've had to really roll this one around in my head quite a bit this month. There are so many answers to how do I feel about the current refugee crisis. My initial reaction is that, of course, it's a terrible thing. Most of the world's population cannot fathom what it would be like to be forced to leave the only country that you know, your home, with only the belongings you can carry and move to a new land. It's almost unimaginable, but it's reality for over 42,000 people per day. And no, all of those people are not from Syria. About half of the 60 million refugees in the world are children.

What are my feelings about the current refugee crisis? My feeling is that the current crisis is just a tiny picture of what happens all over the world all the time. Civil and religious wars rage on in developing countries for decades, typically without the west even batting an eye. It's very far away from us, and often the people don't look like us and may not have our religion, making it incredibly easy to turn a blind eye and say that doesn't impact us. What countries you may wonder? Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, Central African Republic, Colombia...the list goes on and on.

So my feeling is that even though the images that we see now are heartbreaking, this is not something new we're dealing with. My feeling is that I hope people can welcome those who have lost everything with open arms, and not with a look of disgust because they are tired, poor, another religion, don't speak the language. My feeling is that even though the crisis seems bigger than we are, small acts of kindness make a difference for those in need.

And, can we continue to live our ordinary lives in the aftermath of large scale conflicts and tragedies? I would hope that if nothing else, these atrocities help give people some perspective on their lives. In some sense, I think we have to go on living our lives, but perhaps we can be more purposeful about it. Have gratitude for the fact that you reside in a safe country, sleep in a warm bed, put food on the table each day for your family. Try not to get caught up in the minutia that often drags us down, making us forget about things that are truly important.

Are there things you can do to help with the current refugee crisis and change the way you go about living your daily life? Absolutely. Regardless of where you live, you CAN do something. Whether it's giving your time, your knowledge, your resources- monetary, clothing, food, shelter, or whatever else it is that you have to give, someone in need can benefit from what you have to give. So my answer would be, don't keep living your ordinary life. Do something to help someone.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.
- Mother Teresa