Sitting in the intense sunshine of the desert gardens of the University of Texas at El Paso. . .while my family members are at work, I enjoy a concert by Mockingbird. Simulated rain drips on mission bells into a quiet pool. The morning breeze makes the 103 degree heat rather pleasant.
Quite a change in milieu from the rain-drenched Midwest. No hand-wringing here over the delay in planting soybeans or worries of rivers overflowing into homes, farms, and towns. Anxious minds in the Great Pass to the North worry over violence in Juarez, their twin city in Mexico. Over 400 people have been murdered since the first of the year in by warring druglords. Mexican military patrol the streets. Law enforcement officials in Texas and New Mexico have been placed on the "hit list." A chilling reminder of the Wild West.
Yet the American way of life appears to flow smoothly--grocery clerks seamlessly switch from Spanish to English and back again in the customer line. The top priority in border justice does not seem to focus on illegal immigrants.
An actual street here is named "Glory Road," and Coach Don Haskins continues to be a local celebrity. But the civilized life we lead in the U.S.A., held together with gossamer threads, should be regarded with reverence and appreciation.
