Casa de Naomi Reflections

~~~~~~~~~~~~Reflective Questions

What motivates you?

Are you afraid of failure, success, or never trying?

What are you willing to give up to achieve your goal?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Text

Since she did not know how to answer, she thought of her needs. “Excuse me. May I ask some questions?”

“If you must.”

“What is your name and how long will it be until I can leave?”

“Those are the same questions every one of you asks.” Tía poured another cup of tea for herself. “Those I have business dealings with call me La Señora. You are to call me Tía as all my girls do. Vida is my given name, but few have permission to use it. It breeds familiarity. Do you understand?”

“I suppose so.”

Tía looked at the girl, motioned for her to say more, and waited.

A moment passed before Naomi understood what the old tía had implied. When she did, she asked, “This is a business arrangement, right?”

“Correct, a business arrangement. But nonnegotiable since you must stay here or be picked up by immigration and deported.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now, so that no one will suspect what we are doing, it is best for you to call me Tía, as Victor said. This will make it easy for others to believe that I really am your aunt. Our little ruse will make sense to immigration and the community, should they choose to investigate our situation.” She eyed the girl. “I have given you something you could not get without my help. Now you will give me payment.”

“All right.” Naomi’s heart raced at what she might have agreed to. “How do I pay you?”

“Since you are fifteen and a minor, you will work for me until you are twenty. That is a good age for a woman to be on her own. Before then, I believe someone might take advantage of you. During these five years, you will be able to pay me back for what I have done for you. At the end of that time, you will have your freedom, the skills you need to make your way in this country, and five hundred dollars—one hundred dollars for each year you are with me, a good amount for a young woman to begin a new life with.”

Even as Naomi nodded, she wondered what the old woman would ask of her and wished that the woman who looked like her tía Rosa was actually her sweet aunt. However, she knew that the resemblance was only an illusion. “I have nowhere to go and no one who cares. I will give
you what you ask.”

“Good. Then welcome to mi casa.” She picked up Naomi’s suitcase. “Now come.” She walked to the bedroom across the hall from the kitchen, opened the door, and gestured for Naomi to enter. “Many have been happy here. You will be too.”

Naomi looked around the sparsely furnished room that was to be her home.

Tía pointed to the wardrobe. “In there you will find everything you need.” She walked to the wall cattycorner from the bedroom door, pulled aside the yellow drapes, and flipped on a light switch. Naomi looked through a lovely pair of French doors that opened onto a large patio. A fountain, much like those in Spain, with chairs around it, as well as a loveseat and a few scattered side tables, were directly in front of her. Off to the right was a wrought iron dining set, which could accommodate eight. She drank in the beauty and serenity of the place and her breath caught for a moment. The old woman’s unspoken words were clear; she would be able to sit by the fountain and gaze at the garden below.

“As you can see, I have chosen not to treat you as a servant but as a guest in mi casa. I ask that you do what I require and respect my privacy, as I will yours. And you must at all times remember your place. Now, I will leave you to change into something acceptable for one who works for me to be wearing. When you come back to the kitchen, we will eat and discuss your duties.”

Naomi sat on the old iron bed, took a moment to think about her situation, and wondered, What have I gotten myself into?


~~~~~~~~~~~~Author’s Comments

In Hosea 8: 1-3 the reaping of the whirlwind is prophesied for Israel, for the Scripture says, “Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law. Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.

Just as the above prophesy is for a season, so is Naomi’s indenture. And, my friend, this is true of whatever trial or hardship you are going through. So take heart for God will never leave you for he wants to be your friend. Trust in him for he loves and paid the price for you. 

~~~~In light of this truth take a look at your answers to these questions:

If Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing took place today, what Naomi experiences would be classified at Human Trafficking. For The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, defines this crime against humanity as “…an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them.”

I bring this up because the public discourse about illegal immigrants changed when the category of Human Trafficking was accepted and, “…the UNODC, as guardian of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocols thereto, assists States in their efforts to implement the  Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol),” separated that heinous crime from it’s inciting incident  which is an individuals need to change their life, thus endangering them.

Therefore, please note that when I speak of illegal’s I speak about those brought into this country illegally that do not know what their lot will be, but assume it will be better than where they came from.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Today’s Read~~~~~~~~

Resigned to the situation, Naomi tried to find something positive to think about, she saw that a baby grand piano held the place of prominence in the sparsely furnished room and smiled in spite of herself when memories of playing the piano for Abuela Sosa surfaced. She reconsidered her assessment of the place and added the word grand. When her consciousness flooded with memories of the many times she had played for the Sosas’ blind grandmother, she reminded herself, That was another time, another place. Abuela Sosa is no more. Images that had brought her comfort as she traveled the world with them flashed before her eyes. In an attempt to stop them, she reminded herself that the promises they had made they had broken. Now those bright hopes will only bring you pain. It is best you think about this situation since it seems worse than the one you just left.

“Come.” The old tía pulled her through the living and dining rooms while she searched her ring. When they crossed the kitchen’s threshold, she found it and unlocked the handcuffs. She eyed Naomi. “This was just a precaution!” She threw the handcuffs down on the battered kitchen table.

Naomi looked at the cold steel.

“Sit down!”

Naomi obeyed, felt her will disappear, and wondered if the old tía viewed her as a tool to mold to her demands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Reflection~~~~~~

Do you try to help others and end up hurting yourself?

Is this a habit, a life style, or do you get joy from living your life this way?

If you could find a way to change your behavior, would you, and why? If not, why not?


~~~~~~~~~~~Authors Comment~~~~~~~~~


Everything in life has a value and either a positive or negative emotion attached to it. Although our hard drive may have become programmed to do anything to get noticed because we are cogent we can retrain our responses thereby freeing ourselves of the need to feel better if we feel worse, or if we place others needs above ours.

However, our society seems to value selflessness. Therefore, the question one must ask and answer is who matters most? If you do, then your course is set. That is until you fall in love. For love has been known to be the great equalizer. And passionate love the great deflator if the object one loves does not respond in kind.

Contrary to popular opinion, to be self-centered does not necessarily mean that one is less likely to experience angst, or rejection. For the one who loves self might do so superficially to hide a deep loathing.

Caught between the proverbial ‘ying and yang’ of the id one might wish they could live in Limbo Land, and some do. Enter Human Trafficking and Naomi’s plight which needs to be understood within the larger issue of illegal immigrants who come from every place and look just like you and me! That’s right! Though they are suspect, they might not be the ones that are killing Americans at the boarder! Their not just Mexican, or Spanish. Their not coming here to wage war against America anymore than your family did when they first came here. There here because being there is horrid! So the next time someone looks at you esque, it just may be that their wondering if you’re here legally.


Now that you’ve walked a mile in Naomi’s footsteps’ you might understand her plight as we move on. And you might have taken a moment to think about what you would do if you were this frightened teenager.  

If you think I’m misguided in what I say, let me share that while withdrawing funds at my local bank my teller who had read Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing, shared that years ago she was telling a coworker about the vacation she was going to take, and discovered that this blue-eyed, blond haired woman could not go on vacation because she was an illegal immigrant. The teller was amazed for this woman looked and sounded as if her family had been here for many years. However, because my teller was of Latin decent and her family spoke Spanish at home, she often noticed many cast curious glances her way.

Ask yourself, "What would I do, how would I feel if that happened to me?" When you know the answer to that question, you will be better equipped for whatever life brings your way.

Until next time, may all your days be blessed, and may you rest assured in Messiahs blessing!

To order your copy of Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing, visit http://www.amazon.com/

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