“The Girl Who Wrote in Silk” by Kelli Estes

I recently finished reading “The Girl Who Wrote in Silk” by Kelli Estes. I learned something about American history that I didn’t know.

In the 1880s, after Chinese immigrants had helped build our railroads, other Americans and Canadians decided the Chinese were no longer welcome.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Geary Act of 1892 discriminated against them. But more horrifically, many Chinese people were killed. Much like the Native Americans, the Chinese were deemed too different to live among us European Americans.

I wanted to share this piece of history. The people writing history books decide what they want us to learn, often leaving out things they would rather forget.

None of us should forget that discrimination has been happening for centuries. It is up to us to change that.

Looking forward to the day that differences are celebrated!

we've got to start somewhere

Taking care of you and me 

is so important, really 

It isn't just family 

But friends and acquaintances too

Reaching out to one another 

Is so essential really 

To all of humanity 

Our pets and wildlife too

Me, I'm just one, but you are two,

& we've got to start somewhere 

curiosity and questioning

I believe that curiosity and questioning should be encouraged. The more interests we pursue, the more knowledge we gain, make us better able to make decisions and participate in society.

We should pursue knowledge from many sources and explore many points of view. We need to listen to one another. We need to find ways to be respectful and kind to people who see the world differently than we do. 

If we ignore opposing points of view, we are limiting our own experience and chances for ourselves and the world around us to grow and change.

Wishing you patience and an open mind!

“Dear Evan Hansen” & mental health awareness

Mental health awareness is so important, especially during this time of isolation due to the pandemic.

I just finished listening to the audio book based on the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” It is a story about High school students living with isolation, anxiety and a peer who committed suicide.

Here are some resources that they suggested:

https://childmind.org

https://crisistextline.org text 741741 to text with a trained counselor

https://thetrevorproject.org dedicated to LGBTQ youth

With more to be found at https://dearevanhansen.com/

Your library might have the novel or even the sound recording of the musical. 

Wishing you and your loved ones the opportunity to discuss difficult topics that might make a world of difference.

What the world needs now

What the world needs now

Is love, sweet love

It’s the one thing that there's just too little of

-Burt Bacharach

From one side to the other, let's listen to one another and share love. We don’t need to be alike. Differences make the world better. Let’s accept each other and agree to disagree.

Wishing you love and acceptance!