A cruel focus

I am participating in the
 Slice of Life.  
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, 
on Tuesdays.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

We said goodbye
to a family
that is moving elsewhere
to get the health support that one parent so desperately needs
as she recovers from a major health crisis.

This young family,
with little children,
has had an outpouring of support
from their extended family, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and church,
for months now,
and to say goodbye and wish them well,
even in this hopeful way,
was hard and sad.
Their children - oh, I know this is hard on their young children,
to weather such a big transition,
to see one parent in such pain,
to move somewhere new,
it must be so very confusing and stressful.

Yet,
how truly blessed they have been,
and we have been,
to know and support one another.
Their family,
despite acute challenges,
stays together.
This is a rich community.
We do not want
for support.

I think about how much trauma, and crisis, and pain
is man-made
in our world today,
and so many people
do not have the support and caring of others.

Our government is
quite pointedly
cutting off caring and support
in so many ways
to so many.

For example -
Policy changes for welfare,
removing families from rolls, and
poor families cannot get food for their babies.
A wall so impenetrable that
locals cannot pass even a bottle of water to the needy on the other side.
Purposefully separating children from parents at the border, and
not tracking where family members have gone.
Manipulating asylum laws so that many are forced to return
to cruel and inhumane situations.
Laws tightened and revenge sought so that
communities cannot offer sanctuary to the needy.

On and on and on.

It is a cruel focus.

Families suffer.
Children suffer.
We suffer.