He counted the change carefully, brow furrowed at my question. “Sorry” he shrugged, “my English…not good”. “It’s okay”, I answered, “Welcome to America”. And then, turning back, I looked into his eyes. “I mean it. I’m glad you’re here.” I thought of my immigrant grandparents, struggling to learn English after long days of bricklaying and … Continue reading Far From Home
Month: June 2021
Hug Status
My son Ben strides through our church like he owns it, seeking out his favorite people to hug. As we have finally emerged from our year-long quarantine, no one is happier than he to have human contact again. Some people with Down Syndrome dish out hugs like candy at a parade. But not Ben. No, … Continue reading Hug Status
Sometimes I Think I Hear Singing
I wake in the night to the moon rising, hushed, over the lake. I sense it there, in the soft lapping of water, in the cattails whispering in the breeze. I drive to an ordinary errand, on an ordinary day, and quietly, tenderly, feel a weight lift in my spirit. Ben snuggles under the covers … Continue reading Sometimes I Think I Hear Singing
He Will Come
In the politics; the rage; the turmoil around and within us. In the fear; the conflict; the disasters in the news and in our neighborhoods. In the discouragement; the hopelessness; the loneliness that presses in on us in the night. Hush, now; peace. Like a child, run to the arms that welcome you. Rest in … Continue reading He Will Come
New Things
Kelsey Graduation season is upon us and my social media feed is filling with pictures of smiling young faces in their caps and gowns. I remember that feeling of hope and anticipation. Soon I would be leaving my small town in the mountains for a huge university on the edge of the ocean. I had … Continue reading New Things
A View of the Lake 