I feel like January was stolen from us – at least the peace I usually find in it.
January has never been my favorite month. It’s long. Heavy with post-holiday blues and bitter cold at the beginning of a new year.
And yet, I love January for its quiet.
Fewer plans.
No celebrations to prepare for.
Just routine – softened by slow mornings, walks in the snow, occasional skiing, watching snowflakes drift down, candles lit early, blankets pulled close, a good book, and hearty winter meals.
January is meant for turning inward.
For coziness.
For reflection.
For being present, without rushing ahead to what comes next.
January is for stillness – the kind you feel standing in a forest after a fresh snowfall. The world silenced. Breath visible. There is nothing quite like it.
But this year, it feels as though January was stolen from us.
Its peace taken.
A month of anger, grief and anxiety
Looking back on a month that felt like an endless year, I am upset.
Upset about the disruptions.
The helicopters overhead.
The anxiety.
The constant stress and paranoia.
Upset about the fear for my neighbors.
About the grief.
About the darkness that settled in and refuses to lift.
I am angry that some people believe they have the right to take our peace.
I am angry that they did.
And it isn’t over — far from it.
I hope I am wrong.
And yet, the peace taken from me is nothing compared to what has been taken from others.
From those pulled from the streets.
Dragged from their cars.
Brutalized.
Separated from their families.
From those held in cold buildings where food and hygiene are scarce, where health deteriorates day by day.
From those who lost their lives.
And from the families and friends left behind, carrying unbearable grief.
Brutality
And now I’m going to say it plainly: wherever you stand on the political spectrum, what has been happening – particularly in Minnesota this past month – is very wrong.
Whatever policies you believe should be implemented, it is wrong to do so by spreading fear, terror, chaos, confusion, and destruction.
What has been happening here has nothing to do with sensible immigration policy and everything to do with brutality and cold-blooded cruelty.
Whatever you believe about immigration, immigrants are human beings.
They deserve to be treated with dignity.
And whoever you believe should be detained still deserves food.
Still deserves life-saving medication.
Still deserves a lawyer, due process, and the ability to contact their families.
These are not radical demands.
They are basic human rights.
Dedication to the taken
And, so today, I am dedicating my post to Liam, the five-year-old who was taken on his way to school with his father and flown to Texas.
After only a few days, his health began to seriously deteriorate.
He missed his friends.
He missed his mother.
Thankfully, he is now home again – reunited with both of his parents after a judge ordered his release.
I hope he can recover, physically and mentally, from this unnecessary trauma.
This post is also dedicated to all the children who were taken for no reason and are suffering under horrifying conditions.
May they, too, return home to a warm, safe place that all children deserve.
This post is dedicated to the young mother of four, including a four-month-old nursing baby – all legal residents – who was taken from her family, separated from her infant, put on a plane, and held in Texas for sixteen days before a judge ordered her release and return home.
I hope she, too, can heal from this unbelievable and traumatic experience.
This post is dedicated to Alex Pretti and Renée Good.
Whatever mistakes they may have made in their passion to protect their neighbors, and in their understandable anger about what is happening, they should both still be alive today. Their deaths are a stark reminder that the use of force must be just, proportional, transparent, and accountable.
Love stronger than hate
This post is dedicated to all immigrants who came here seeking a better life –
to those who did so “the right way,”
to those who obtained legal status or citizenship,
to those who have their papers in order,
and to those who have enriched our lives with their presence, labor, and culture.
You should not be harassed.
Your peace should not have been taken.
You should not be taken.
And this post is dedicated to all immigrants – documented and, yes, undocumented.
Because wherever you stand on this complex issue, they, too, deserve human dignity.
And lastly – above all else – the outpouring of love and care has been real and constant.
In a time marked by fear and darkness, it has poured in anyway, filling the cracks with light that cannot be ignored.
Love has shown up in neighbors.
In communities.
In people refusing to look away.
Love has held the line when institutions failed.
Love has carried families.
Love has protected children.
Love has reminded us of who we are.
Love is stronger than all the hate.
Love stands above it all.
This article was first published on Manuela Thames’s Substack, Undone, on 2 February 2026
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