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A letter to the residents of Phoenix

As you look around this town, check out the people you see.  Are you sure you see who they are?  These are all people like you and me.  Many of them are not from here.  As a Phoenix resident, you can bet that most of the people around you are not from Phoenix, but you may not realise how many of them are not from the United States at all.  We have representatives of just about every country in our fair city.  We have many from Mexico, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Belize, Laos, China, and the list goes on and on.  Migrants from all over the world make this their home.  But how, and why are they doing it?  To leave one's and travel far away with the reality that they may never see that home again is a huge step that takes a lot of motivation.  Most people don't just drop their lives and split on a whim. 

Take a moment to talk to your neighbours, your gardeners or your domestic help, your doctor or anyone else around you that may not look or sound the way you do.  There are many stories to be told, and many people to be understood. 

Trust me, the stories are interesting.  I think you would be surprised to hear what people have gone through, and what means they use to reach their particular goals.  Some are sad, and some are incredible, some have some pretty funny parts to them, but they all are illustrations of determination, and the human spirit refusing to be crushed in the face of hardship.  Ask around, and ask yourself if you would be able to do it if your situation called for it.

~Utah