My mom’s family came to this country over 100-years ago via a long train ride to Southern California. I imagine they weren’t able to carry a lot of possessions for the trip. Even today, people coming to this country can’t take much with them and have to start over. If your family had to move what is one possession that you would take if you could or would hope you could get at your destination? (and WHY?) 

It’s hard to imagine what my mom’s family went through. I don’t know if this photo was taken before or after the move, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been a hundred years ago to move with four small children in tow (the young man at the end on the right was a nephew, I think)*. Actually I’ve personally moved across country twice. The first time in 2008, I moved from Long Beach, California to Orlando, Florida. I loaded up all of my belongings into two of those moving pods and packed the rest into my Scion xB and made the four-day drive on Interstate 10. Then in 2016 I packed up a slightly larger pod and my Prius and drove from Orlando to Las Vegas. I got rid of a lot of stuff before both trips, but still managed to fill up moving pods and vehicles. It was a pain, but it wasn’t at all as difficult as the families in the video. I moved for the opportunities promised at the end of the journey and kept as much of my stuff as I could (probably too much...). On the move from Orlando to Las Vegas I spent some time in New Orleans and a few days in Austin. It was an adventure.

It’s sad when people feel like they can’t stay some place that they love. This is very different from the moves I’ve made over the years. But the video made me think about how important having a musical outlet was for me growing up and I’m glad that the young woman in the video was able to make connections in her new country and that music was a part of that. A dear friend of mine, who has had a rough couple of years, decided recently to learn how to play the piano and she’s said that more than once a day she sits down and plays whatever she’s been learning and it really has helped her work through her losses and feelings. Big life changes, like moving to a new country or sudden loss, take a toll on us but it’s good when there’s an outlet like music to help us make connections.

Has there been something like learning a musical instrument or some other creative practice that has help you through big life changes?

*FOOTNOTE: I looked closer at the photo of my mom’s family and the picture was taken in Los Angeles, so clearly taken after the journey from Mexico.

Source: PBS Newshour Classroom, student video of the day: Welcoming refugees with donated musical instruments, https://studentreportinglabs.org/on-our-minds/