New York State is vast, today, some  refugee children from Rochester, N.Y., came to Cambridge N.Y., hundreds of miles away, to meet one another, have lunch, play and talk. The meeting was the idea of the Rev. Dahn Gandell, a much loved Episcopal Minister in Rochester, and a part owner of the Pompanuck Farm Retreat.

She contacted me and I contacted Ali (Amjad Abdulla) and we set it up for today. We didn’t count on the cold, but it was powerful to see these kids work through their shyness and play in the snow and start talking to one another.

Working with these kids in the Albany area, I am struck again and again by how challenging their lives are, how hard their families have to struggle to adjust to life here, and how often they suffer the taunts and jibs of their American classmates. Few of them have American friends, and the hostility and suspicion they face these days drives them together and makes their friendship for one another critical.

I listened in as some of these kids spoke to one another today, and they share the same stories and experiences. It is not an easy thing to be a refugee in America in 2017, it is not easy to be a refugee family. I suppose it never was, but it seems more essential than ever that we stand with them and show them our true hearts and souls.

The work Ali does to keep their community together is critical, he is a saint and a hero. Ali keeps telling them that what they are seeing and hearing is not the real America, that will resurface. I hope so, but in the meantime, I am committed to helping these sweet and courteous and gentle boys and girls whenever I can.

They are an asset to their new country, and I always hope to show them the true heart and soul of America. They see it in Ali, they saw it in Dahn Gandell, and in Scott Carrino of Pompanuck Farm, they felt safe and welcome today.

I hope this support gives them the hope and sustenance to guide them through these hard times. And i need to get them some winter shoes and hats and jackets.