The blurriness of needs and wants

On the very farthest outreach of my memory, from the time life began rolling itself into events that stuck in my head, I remember episodes of pain enveloping my legs. All encompassing, it pushes everything out of my mind. When it happens, it’s the only thing to feel. Sometimes during the worst episodes, I spend […]

Unwelcome alarm

Years ago I found myself at the edge of the world, waking up sore, tired, and very dirty. The bamboo under my back had not been kind to me throughout the night, and I was ready to finish our work in the sticky jungle in order to get back home to a shower. As my […]

Lizards and marsupials: my life with creatures

Feathery tickles starting at my temple and tracing along my hairline brought me back to consciousness. The sticky dark of the night fogged my mind and my senses. I couldn’t pull out of the heat-stricken sleep quickly, but the sensation of something being on my face motivated me. It’s impressive how quickly your physical body […]

Walls are hard

The “flour” wasn’t going to cook itself. The girls were happily playing in the living room together and apart, so I decided it was the perfect time to get the tortillas going. Ray calls them flour because they are, well, flour, and we have yet to correct her. I hardly ever keep the baby gate […]

Present in the silence

Sometimes God speaks through the dramatic. In fire, blood, and rolling thunder. Other times he whispers in the wind or wakes a lone boy from his sleep with a soft calling. For me over these last few months, all I’ve heard is deafening silence. We’ve done everything for our children to go back to their […]