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A “Religious” Walk Home
One night, while walking home from my small Swiss village of Worb, I had an intense “religious” experience. This experience prompted childhood memories of my past and gave my present-day desires and future longings a place and time to be experienced. The pathway home was lit only by the full moon’s reflective light, which reminded me of walking down a dark Pennsylvania road as a boy, wanting nothing more than to know who I was in relation to this big world. At the same time, the dark Swiss countryside was calling me to be present not only to my desires of today but also to my cravings for what is…
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The Bridge
The first step, that very first step So hard but filled with such emotion Our feelings propel us to act They propel us to move So we step We walk Yet, the more that we walk Our feelings fail us They die We are exposed Our inner most identities cry out Our daily activities no longer hide our desires We are left with simply ourselves We are on the journey Our anxiety builds So we look left, we look right We look for anything to save us We even look behind us But our past can’t help us now We are on the journey Our bodies ache Our thoughts run…
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Language of Love
Every morning at 6:08 a.m., my son’s voice can be faintly heard from his bedroom. “Mommy…can I have some milk, please?” The communication is straightforward, and his words convey precisely what he wants. Living abroad gives you a new understanding of communication. Here in Switzerland, four languages are spoken, depending on the region you find yourself in. It also doesn’t help when you don’t realize that you have crossed into a different region. For instance, a simple “thank you” can be “Merci,” “Bitte,” or “Grazie”, depending on where you find yourself. More often than not, when the standard means of communication (language) breaks down, you sometimes have to resort to…
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“Good” Parenting
To act or not to act. To speak or not to speak. To intervene or not to intervene. It seems that these are the thoughts that consume a parent’s mind every day. It is said that parenting is the most challenging job in the world, and most parents who are engaged in their children’s lives would agree. Although we get plenty of advice from others and instinctively draw our parenting styles from those who have raised us, when we are face to face with our children, there isn’t a blueprint. During these times of indecision, we realize that we are left with only our thoughts. We are left with our…
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To Change or Not To Change
There was a moment when it hit me. Deep down, I knew it would never be the same again. Although things looked identical, my relationship with them had somehow changed. My friends were still there, yet my connection to them differed in ways I could not explain. I was an 18-year-old young man and home for the first time after leaving high school, and I was confronted with the reality that I had changed. And this scared me. On the one hand, this community has brought me comfort and security; now, it no longer gives me the same feelings. On the other hand, the thought of me changing made me…
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Die Hausmann (The Houseman)
Honestly, the first time I was called, it rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was because of the accent “HA-ous-Mah-n.” Perhaps it was because it was something that I never identified myself with before. I mean to answer a question posed by strangers, “Was tun Sie hier in der Schweiz zu tun?” (What do you do here in Switzerland?) “Ich bin eine Hausmann” (I am a Houseman) is awkward. On the one hand, it sounds way too formal for washing floors and toilets. On the other hand, it sounds like I should be getting paid for this. And that’s the thing. There lies the rub. Being a Hausmann has…
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The Call of a Father
A scene in the new Star Wars film The Force Awakens captivated me. I am not a Star Wars expert or fanatic, but I grew up watching the original trilogy like most young boys of my generation, and I loved it. So now, being a father myself and watching the new film with my eight-year-old son made the experience that much more memorable. Without spoiling anything, the scene I mention for those who saw the movie is the one that left most of us gasping with a collective “WHY?” It was the scene in which Hans Solo confronts his son, Kylo Ren. For those who have not seen the movie…
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Hope and Home
Walking through the familiar door into the place I called home for most of my childhood and teenage years brought contentment and, yet, a sense of conflict. I knew what stair created the loudest creak. I knew what seat gave the best view of the TV. Looking up at night, I knew the shadows on the ceiling before I fell asleep. This was my home during some of the most influential times of my life. This was my home that gave birth to great joy, great sorrow, and great love. This was my home. And yet, I was a visitor. For this was my parent’s home. Pulling up to the…
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The Crumbs of Holiness
A couple of days ago, I had a temper tantrum over the ever-present crumbs that continue to find their home in our house. Some like to live on our kitchen floor; some would rather stay on the countertops, and some like the view of our dining area from underneath the table. As much as I try to escort them out of our house with a ride in the vacuum, their friends seem to take their places immediately. It is a battle that is never-ending. And one that triggers things within me that are not pleasant. Now, I don’t have to look very far to see who the usual culprits are.…
