Opinion

Jay Tavare: Honor Your Life helps Apache youth address issues

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

"There is something special about a road trip that captures the spirit of a true journey like no other mode of transportation. That was my thought Monday night as my two German partners, Alex and Thure, and I loaded up our SUV with gifts, recording equipment and lots of food and water, to head east on Interstate 10. We were about to make a 900-mile journey from Southern California to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where I was invited to be part of the "Honor Your Life" program at the Mescalero Apache School on the Apache reservation. The Honor Your Life program was created to help the Apache youth cope with depression, suicide, domestic violence and other extremely difficult life challenges.

I had been planning this trip for months, as I've mentioned in a previous blog; but now we were actually on our way, driving through the desert in the middle of the night. The air smelled of smoke from the fires raging in the Southwest, but foremost in my mind was my excitement to see my friends and family on the reservation. Whenever I make a trip to the Apache rez, it is their love that always leaves me humbled.

The long drive wore on through the night, but eventually we saw the sun rise over Arizona and the mountains came alive before us. After a total of 14 hours, we arrived at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, a beautiful Casino resort situated at the heart of Alamogordo, high up (7600-feet elevation, where we were) in the densely forested mountains of Mescalero Apache country."

Get the Story:
Jay Tavare: Honor Your Life (The Huffington Post 6/23)