In.

In waging war we find
Innocence

4 words

Warm dark long mirrors
Reflecting
the resistant sky
in its intoxicated gaze

On the radio this morning

slivers of songs

sharp shards

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Shoebox of Life

Harry immigrated from Russia in the early 1900s, and he came to know my dad and eventually to trust him. One day Harry asked Doc (what I call my father) to "go through my things with me" since his wife was deceased and he had no children. After putting him off several times (secretly fearful of spending hours going through nearly eight decades of accumulated possessions), Doc agreed to help.

Imagine my dad's surprise when he got to Harry's at the appointed time and found him sitting with a single shoebox. Inside were several pictures and other personal keepsakes associated with significant people in Harry's life. The shoebox held no gold or awards or priceless items; just a few pictures and simple mementos of key relationships. Yet to Harry, they were the treasures beyond measure. As Rubel Shelly pointed out, "Life ultimately reduces to those we have loved and those who have loved us."

What are you collecting for your shoebox?  

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  

Letters never sent. Volume 3 letter 5

Billy:
So grateful I rearranged seating to sit with you. You remind me of what I wanted to be.
Somehow the world, with all it's cruelty, has left you, you. Intact.Your love for Louise evident in every gesture; your undeniable grace in the face of humiliation which would deject any man; the profound love you carry for your children; and above all, your whisper soft gentle spirit which appears as the infinite patience of a believer.
You believe. Still. Despite. In the face of.
Right beside: turmoil, fear, pain, rejection, and the vast unknown.
To know you, even if only briefly, is to know kind.