During these past nine to ten months, as I've sought more connection with my local and area communities, as I've tried to find and create spaces to introduce people here to families I am close to in Gaza, and as I've tried to make the connection between Palestine and Bellingham more clear, I have consistently heard the same message from so many people. It is a message of gratitude, emotion, and relief--it is an expression of words and feelings. It is frequently accompanied by tears, hugs, or a squeeze of my hand. If I had to try and summarize the essence of what I have heard time and time again, it is something like this:
"Thank you for sharing what you have shared, for giving us an opportunity to be in community with other people who feel the same way. Thank you for being here, for making a place where we can name and talk about what is being done and how wrong it is. I haven't known what to do. I have felt this destroying me. I have been overwhelmed. I am grateful for knowing about something tangible I can do, understand, and help with--I am thankful to those who are creating spaces where our feelings are normalized, validated, and understood. And thanks to everyone who is doing this in ways that are public and inviting."
I am not attributing these words to any one specific person, but rather this is my attempt to capture a synthesis of many many outpourings of expressions that have come to me in so many different spaces from people from all walks of life, people of all ages identities and genders and religions, from all backgrounds and professions and lived experiences.
This gratitude and appreciation expressed by so many in my local communities truly belongs to the families in Gaza. They are the ones who have made these conversations and connections possible. It is through them I have found my true community, both in physical and online spaces. It is through them that I have found people and friends who have become more significant and important to me than I would have ever imagined possible, both in Palestine, and also in Bellingham, and even throughout the world.
I also have come to realize there are many people who are searching for places and ways to support each other, to fight oppression, to transform this world through their love and solidarity. And so it is important that we keep finding ways to create opportunities to come together and connect with this in mind. I feel strongly that this is one of the ways we can understand both what is needed and what is possible.
And all of this also makes me think of yesterday. Yesterday was a very special day, the birthday of sweet Mahdi, the son of Leila and Yanis, my dear friends and beloved family who I have written about before, and who I speak and share on behalf of during the community presentations. During the recent 'Pizza for Palestine' event hosted by the wonderful Goat Mountain Pizza, I was very worried because Yanis had told me earlier that morning that Mahdi was very very ill. He had a respiratory infection, and I could hear his labored breathing during a sweet voicenote they sent me that day, as Mahdi was still eager to send me a greeting despite, being so sick.
The fundraiser that evening was focused on trying to raise emergency funds for families in Gaza to buy warm clothes, tents, and blankets to help them get through the cold winter. Last year, infants and babies died of hypothermia and exposure, and the harsh winter weather caused an outbreak of illness and disease among many people. Another dangerous season looms as families are even worse off than they were last year, and thankfully, what we raised that evening went towards helping the families we are trying to support.
However, sweet Mahdi ended up being hospitalized later the next morning as his conditioned worsened overnight and his fever spiked and would not lower. The antibiotics and medicine they needed for Mahdi were difficult to find, as the entry of medical supplies into Gaza continue to be blocked by Israel. But thankfully, after much searching and expense, Yanis secured what was needed for Mahdi. There was a particularly scary 48-hour period when Yanis and Leila remained unsleeping and vigilant by Mahdi's side, and many of us in Bellingham added our prayers to theirs, our feelings of love and concern strong and fierce across these many miles.
How relieved we were when Mahdi's fever broke, when he began responding to treatment and showed signs of improvement. And when he was released from the hospital and Yanis sent me the good news, I realized I had a chain of people here in Bellingham who I needed to text, to tell them he was doing better-- friends who had been praying and caring and worrying. How wonderful this news was and how happy we all were, many of us shedding tears of joy.
And while I am very grateful that it was mainly thanks to the fundraising event that Yanis and Leila could afford the medical care Mahdi needed, this also means they are still in need of funds in order to afford the warm clothing and improvements to their tent for which we were trying to fundraise. And it is the exposure to the cold that caused Mahdi to get so sick in the first place, so now we are back to hoping we can find a way to help them get what they need so that they can stay well and survive this dangerous winter.
And, in the midst of all of this, yesterday was Mahdi's birthday. He turned three years old, which was a reason to celebrate and a most joyful occasion. Together with friends we were able to create a special present for him, which I am also sharing with you now. The act of creating this video was another example of how families in Gaza are bringing us together, giving us opportunities to find and create moments of joy and connection, understanding and hope. These are the things that sustain us, and I am forever grateful to them for this.
If you would like to contribute to Mahdi and his family's survival campaign, you can do so online via their Chuffed campaign page, and you can even sign up to make automatic weekly donations. You can also email me at clarissjanae@gmail.com if you would prefer to give me funds for them instead, which I will send to them on your behalf. I hope to be able to transfer an installment of funds soon, as soon as we have at least $300 built up again. (In case it helps to know, they need between $800-$1000 for their winter protection funds for shelter, blankets, and clothing, in addition to between $100 to $150 per day minimum for food and essentials.) Anything you can give is needed and will help.
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