Don't you love "small world" moments?
Once I had a layover in Dubai and I was in line for the men's room and heard, "Noah?" I turned around and my friend Jon was right behind me in line. In Dubai. He was on his way to East Africa to climb Kilimanjaro. I was on my way to a two-week vacation in Thailand. Small world, right?
A little closer to home, a few years ago I found out that one of my former students from when I taught first grade in Dakar, Senegal had moved with his family to Charleston, SC. My city! Two months ago when their family welcomed baby Serena, I was thrilled when they called on me to document some family time at home. They have a lot of familiar West African decor, which brought me right back. Baby Serena likes to gaze at the wooden masks particularly.
Now a beautiful family of five (Aren't they? It's not even fair how beautiful they all are!), the Autrys are adjusting to new schedules and needs and their older boys are stepping in to help.
Because they both get to be big brothers now.
Cue the heart-melting warm fuzzies.
mom
Mother's Day
if there are any heavens my mother will (all by herself) have
one. It will not be a pansy heaven nor
a fragile heaven of lilies-of-the-valley but
it will be a heaven of blackred roses
my father will be (deep like a rose
tall like a rose)
standing near my
(swaying over her
silent)
with eyes which are really petals and see
nothing with the face of a poet really which
is a flower and not a face with
hands
which whisper
This is my beloved my
(suddenly in sunlight
he will bow,
& the whole garden will bow)
- e. e. cummings