I hadn't asked to be told. I wish I didn't know. But I do. And I admit it hurts.
I Wasn’t Supposed to Know
A Central Asian Birthday
We're all looking for something. We found it in a mud-brick house in the slums of a Central Asian capital.
Into the Dark
"I wasn't planning on spending much time looking out the window.... This time, however, the sights of the world passing beneath me drew my nose to the window and held my gaze.... And that's when my heart sank."
Thank You
By the time you read this, Laura and I will be somewhere in the middle of a 26 hour plane ride to the other side of this ol' world of ours. Even as we leave so many family members and friends behind, we don't leave without hope, hope so many of you instilled within us, and we're grateful.
They Make Me Rich
A word that flies high over these past four years of my sojourn here in Central Asia is the word loneliness. It's a monster I was not at all prepared to face. The monster came anyway. Turns out he's a hard one to chase away. Every last human being senses a deep-seated need that is … Continue reading They Make Me Rich
On Loving and Leaving and Getting Left Behind
The image of putting down roots is a beautiful one. The mightiest trees didn't appear overnight. Instead, day by day, they slowly sank their fibrous fingers down into the earth, drinking in the very essence of the soil in which they were planted, and converting that essence into a towering trunk, sprawling branches, wind-kissed leaves, … Continue reading On Loving and Leaving and Getting Left Behind
Just Across the Table
He wasn't sitting more than two feet away from me. The seats at the coffee shop were comfortable. My latte was within arm's reach. And all I could think was that the intelligent, likable, well-educated young man across the table from me was hurtling full speed toward the edge of a cliff with a blindfold … Continue reading Just Across the Table