The Reunion: Finale

My Brother, Cousin Marcia, Cousin Hugh. Ca. 1969 [Part One of this story is here. Part Two of this story is here.] We Reserve the Right to Refuse ServiceWe’ve parked the car and are walking across the restaurant’s parking lot when suddenly I wonder if bringing my cousin here for lunch wasn’t a horrible idea. What […]


Christmas Tourists

The Center of Attention My Best Friend’s Birthday This weekend, believers in Jesus Christ, our Savior, gather throughout the world to celebrate His birth. It was quite the event, seeing as how His arrival split history in two, freed us from sin’s bondage, and gave us eternal life. Love came down to rescue us a few […]


Christmas Tourists

The Center of Attention My Best Friend’s Birthday This weekend, believers in Jesus Christ, our Savior, gather throughout the world to celebrate His birth. It was quite the event, seeing as how His arrival split history in two, freed us from sin’s bondage, and gave us eternal life. Love came down to rescue us a few […]


The Dream Barista

Teacup, Coffee Beans, French Press.   I Dreamed I was in a Cold Place This city was big and foreign. I walked its strange streets, looking for an address, the wind scathing my skin and my spirits. My legs grew heavy. I’d been wandering the dark streets so long the cold had moved into my […]


Gratitude Avalanche

Girl Selling an Apple to a Marine on a Train. Seoul. 1954. Photo by Rod Seiler.* Buried in Gifts At my physical therapy appointment, I chatted with Jun, a young man who works there, as he supervised my execution of a series of back-strengthening exercises. “Where are you from, Jun?” “Korea.” “My dad was there.” […]