#T-134025 28 years ago 2-year-old Chanida Phaengdara Number T-134025 to Student “P” in 1st Grade A mother A father Seven children Asylum to the Land of 10,000 Lakes 100 degrees to -30 degrees Fahrenheit Food stamps, welfare, Northside housing The smell of moth balls became our second scent First shift, second shift, grave shift to survive the grind The American Dream? Just as long as we’re together as family The reality is: our elders are dying. We are all dying. But our stories don’t have to. The honesty in our past tell us about the struggles of those who came before us and reminds us what we try to understand in the present. Hug your elders. Listen to your family’s stories. Appreciate our shared journey of blood, sweat, and tears. In short, Happy World Refugee Day, fellow ‘fugees.   -Chanida editor@littlelaosontheprairie.org