Stain-glass Eyes

It doesn’t just terrorize the city, state, province or country.  It terrorizes the world. Whether it comes from fear, hate or hopelessness inside someone, if it’s not communicated, shared and resolved within humanity, it spouts up to destroy.   For me it destroys my faith, my confidence, my serenity.  I have a hard time concentrating and being focused on my day to day life when terror and destruction seeps in.   We are all watching.  It’s impossible not to witness the death, fear, and destruction.  It’s hard not to feed into the fear.   When I see people get hurt or wounded or even hear about it I want to help.  I want to heal them in some way.  It sounds righteous, but I mean it more in a way of comfort for those who have lost someone.  Helping to heal the heart of someone who had their life (as they knew it), stripped away by the death of a loved one.  Or maybe many loved ones. Ataturk Airport- June 2016 ...

I just had some black-cherry ice cream.  I decided I would rather have ice cream than dinner.  I didn’t have an appetite for anything and after a very warm, beautiful day I’m not the only one in the Washtenaw Dairy having a late-night treat.   I always get butter pecan but tonight I was a little nostalgic remembering going to Chief’s Drive-in, out by Evergreen Shores, in St. Ignace, when I was younger.  The big chunks of cherries are still as delightful and surprising as they always were.  They slip out with the ice cream and they end up getting nabbed by the teeth rather than the tongue. Fortunately, The Washtenaw Dairy is open until ten at night.  I wonder if the full moon has brought in any extras.  People wondering why they feel restless and not knowing what they want.   Today was the last day for the Ann Arbor Public Schools and it’s officially summer for students.  When I walked down the sidewalk on my way her...

Germany seems far away, not just in miles but in the impossibility of my being able to squeeze my son Holden.  The distance is wide. Holden, in Berlin I’ve proclaimed many times why it’s important for me to make memories with my loved ones.   When we're away from each other the memories cement the moments we do have forever. Holden met me in Berlin, at Tegel Airport, just a month ago today.  If I close my eyes I can see his worried look in the terminal, as he looked for me. My phone was dead when I got off the plane, I forgot to keep it charged, so there wasn't any way we could contact each other. When I saw Holden my knees almost gave out from my surging emotions.  My son.  Looking out for his mom.  Ready to take everything away from me to carry, after our long awaited hug.   Holden Madagame He looks great.  He’s strong, healthy and most importantly, a loving piece of humanity.  He’s not growing any m...

Frig Yolu.  It sounds foreign to an English speaker.  I had to look it up in order to write this morning.   Elizabeth, Ellie and Me It’s a open, rolling-hill, gorgeous-view kind of place.  To add to its beauty was the quiet, rural culture. Sheep herding, farming--- the furthest thing from touristy. My daughter Elizabeth told me she had a day planned for me the day after I arrived in Eskişehir, Turkey to visit her.   I thought, “Ohhhhh, I’m still whirling from my trip from the U.S. and Germany to get here, I’ll never be able to appreciate the trip.”   She said it was a surprise so I had no idea what was in store for me. When she described the “Hike” we were going to go on, I knew at least I wouldn’t have to deal with the shoulder-to-shoulder people.  Elizabeth knows adventure so how could it not be fun? Ali with Ellie in His Arms At the Train Station We took an early train from Eskişehir with a friend, Ah...