a place nobody knows
"What do you say when people ask you where you're from?" I asked my sister
once. I was genuinely curious to hear what she had to say. She is the sensible one.
The one who doesn't think so hard that it drives people crazy.
She paused a minute, as if to study the road. But she knew exactly where we were going.
From wherever we happened to be in the world, we had traveled to this destination
over a hundred times before. We were headed to our grandparents' house for lunch."I don't know," she answered.
As a young couple from the middle of America,
our parents had accepted positions as teachers in Korea. My sister, Julie, and I
were both born in Korea. The summer after she arrived, our family moved from Seoul to
Tokyo. Growing up among speakers of another language, we become more than best friends. As
foreigners, we became our own country.
Later we moved back to the United
States and a brother and sister joined us. From Virginia, to New Jersey, to Michigan, to
California and back—the passports to our past got a little worn. At the same time, I
now realize that in moving, our family built our home in each other.
"You have so many relationships in
this life, only one or two will last.
You go through all the pain and strife, and you turn your back and it's gone so fast.
So hold onto the ones who really care, because in the end they'll be the only ones there .
. ."
— Hanson, MMMBop |
The music came from the stereo as my sister
and I pulled into our grandparents' narrow driveway—the same driveway we've always
pulled into when we visit them. My sister turned the car off and the strains died out. We
could tell our grandmother was rising to meet us.
| Through the screen door, the warmth of her baking was not
only in the air, but also in her voice. "Grandpa, is that the girls?" "You bet." Our grandfather's smile was unmistakable. |
Dedication
This page is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather. And to the Potter, who gives
form and function while promising a hope and future.
Name: Jackie
e-mail: scout@hanson.net
dknstormy@aol.com
neighborhood: riveronline.net
quote:
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as
though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
— Albert Einstein |
|
