"Feel the fear, and do it anyway."

One time my cousins, aunts, uncles and family went to swim in a lake about half an hour away from my cousin’s house in Whitefish, Montana. We got there and most of us did a big rope swing that was pretty high above the water. Then my cousins, uncle, dad and I went across the lake in canoes to a cliff that we were going to jump off of. The cliff was pretty high and most of my family, who came across the lake, jumped off into the water. My cousin Olivia and I were nervous to do it because it seemed so high to us. We both wanted to do it, but we couldn’t because we were really nervous. The time came when we had to go back across the lake to the rest of our family and so we could go home. My dad looked at my cousin and I, who were close in age at the time, and said,

“Guys if you want to do it you’re going to have to do it now because we have to go.”

“Alright I’ll go,” Olivia said. She walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked down. She stood frozen and with even with a lot of encouragement from all our family, she couldn’t do it. It was my turn. I stepped up to the cliff and just as Olivia had done, I looked down. The water was clear and blue and I got ready to jump, but I couldn’t. Like Olivia had done, I stood frozen on the cliff. “Come on Gen. You have to go or we have to go back,” my dad said.

I didn’t think about what I was doing. I took a step back, ran towards the edge, and jumped.

Migrant Mother Response

'How am I ever going to find enough food to feed both my daughters and myself?' Linda thought. Both her daughters, Mary and Liza stood with their heads resting on her shoulder talking quietly to one another. Linda was hungry herself, and she could only imagine how hungry Mary and Liza must be, and yet they hardly ever complained. She was scared and worried. The last time she had seen her husband had been last Wednesday. Today was Monday. Linda had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. 

"Mommy, can we play a game?" Liza asked her.

"What game do you want to play?"her mother replied.

"Lets play tic-tac-toe!" Mary said happily. It was hard for Linda to feel any joy and happiness these days and she was surprised to hear Mary so happy.

"Alright." They sat together on the ground and Linda watched as Liza carefully drew 4 lines in the sand with her finger. 

"I'll be x's, you be o's," Mary told Liza. Mary started and drew an x in one of the squares Liza had drawn. Then it was Liza's turn. With her finger she drew an o in the square right next to the x Mary had just drawn. They continued playing until Liza triumphantly said,

"I win!" 

Their mother sat still watching the girls play, but her mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about her husband and wished that she knew where he was and he would come strolling in through the front door.  

'Please God!' Linda thought. 'Please bring him safely home. I don't know what I'd do without um. What would the girls do? They need their father just as much as I need my husband! Please keep him safe."

She couldn't think about this any longer, or she knew she would begin to cry.

"Come on girls. Lets go for a walk," she said to Mary and Liza.

The girls got to their feet and Mary brushed away the tic-tac-toe board with her foot. Each of them took on of their mothers hands and they set off down the lane. Hand-in-hand they walked. 

"Where are we going?" Mary asked.

"For a walk," her mother said.

"Where to?" 

"I'm not sure."

She wasn't sure where they were going, or how long they would walk, but she just wanted to move and think of other things. 

----------

When they got back to their home they were all tired and ready to go to sleep. It was dark now and Linda guessed it was about 8:00 at night. She helped her daughters take off their dresses and climb onto the blankets that served as their beds. She was tired herself and wanted to go to sleep like her little girls, so she walked over to the bowl of  brown water they had on the shelf and washed her face and hands. Then she picked up the blue rag from beside the bowl, wet it and washed her daughter's hands and face before they fell asleep. 

"Goodnight Mommy," Liza said softly.

"Goodnight," she replied as she got into her own bed and fell asleep.