Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

justice

#Run4Refugees Day 3: reasons 7 & 8 I’m running

Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3, 2020, I’m logging 20 miles on foot (as much running as I can manage) in support of CWS and their #Run4Refugees campaign. As I complete the miles, I’m sharing the reasons I’m running. If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here. Day 2’s reasons are here.

7. I’m a planner, but I have no idea how to make plans to leave your home and country for an unknown future. As I was running today, I thought about all the preparation it’s taking to squeeze in these runs during a busy week. This morning, I was cooking bacon for dinner (BLTs) so that I wouldn’t have to do it after work and before spectating at a field hockey match so I could get in a quick run to add miles to my total. I don’t handle unforeseen circumstances well. Refugees don’t usually make hasty decisions to leave their homes. Months, sometimes years, of planning happen first. Most of the time, there are unforeseen circumstances on the journey. And how do you plan for such a journey? What do you take with you? What do you leave behind? I’m raising funds and awareness for an organization that helps fill in the gaps for refugee families. I’ve seen firsthand the gratitude for a new home, school supplies, and transportation to the grocery store and medical appointments.

8. Some lessons I’ve learned from running apply to justice work, like refugee aid and resettlement. When I run, I have to keep my head up to take in sufficient oxygen or else my breathing suffers. Advocating for justice issues requires us to keep our heads up and not get too focused on potential pitfalls or circumstances that might make us hang our heads. Running, especially long distances, requires persistence. Justice work, too. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and too often I’ve wanted it to be “fixed” quickly. The funds raised this week will help the work continue for the long haul.

Stay tuned for more reasons tomorrow!

#Run4Refugees Day 2: Two more reasons I’m running

Between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3, 2020, I’m logging 20 miles on foot (as much running as I can manage) in support of CWS and their #Run4Refugees campaign. As I complete the miles, I’m sharing the reasons I’m running. If you missed Day 1, you can catch up here.

I covered two more miles today, so here are two more reasons.

5. Generally I run for my mental health as much as for my physical health. When I came home from work today, I was overwhelmed and anxious. This doesn’t always lead to a good run, and it’s hotter than I want it to be in the last week of September. When stressful situations and anxiety overwhelm me, I run. How does that help refugees? Well, the money I’m raising (and that you’re contributing) takes care of some things that cause stress for refugee families such as health care, hot meals and a welcoming dinner when a family resettles in the United States. When basic needs are met, stress and anxiety ease. I know this from experience. It is no different for refugee families, except that their stressors are not ones I’ve ever experienced on that scale.

6. By October 1 of each year, the president must set the ceiling for the number of refugees that can be admitted to the U.S. For fiscal year 2020, that number was 18,000, the lowest it has been in almost 40 years. Compare that to the number of refugees worldwide: 26 million. Globally, less than 1 percent of refugees have been resettled in 37 countries. (Source: National Immigration Forum.) Another comparison, in fiscal year 2016, the U.S. set the cap at 85,000 refugees. Please understand that this is the maximum number of refugees who can be resettled. The U.S. does not have to meet that number.

For a country that likes to tout itself as a “land of opportunity,” we have too often limited who is afforded those opportunities. I’m running to remind us that much is required of those who have been given much. (We could have another entire discussion about this, but for now, I’ll leave it at this.)

If you want to support my quest, you can give a monetary donation here. While I have surpassed my initial fundraising goal, I would love to continue surpassing it. (I set the goal low on purpose because I like to hit the mark, and I was insecure about my ability to fundraise.) And I’ve heard that right now donations are being matched at 100 percent, so if you’re on the fence about giving, why not do it now?

Keep checking in to read more reasons as I complete more miles.