The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle

"The Little War?

How can there be
a little war?

Are some deaths
smaller than others,
leaving mothers
who weep
a little less?"

"I see a story in her eyes.

She thinks she has no right to eat
while so many others starve."


"When I asked Rosa why a newspaper
would care so much about our island,
I found her answer troubling.

She said tales of suffering sell newspapers
that make readers feel safe,
because they are so far away
from the horror...."


"We imagined they were here
to help us gain the freedom
we've craved for so long.

...We helped them win
this strange victory
over us."


"Peace is not the paradise
I imagined, but it is a chance
to dream...."

The above excerpts are from a book beautifully written in prose with poignant descriptions of a freed slave woman's medical efforts during the wars for Cuban independence.

The Beautiful Northwest

My final excursion into the wild beauty of the Northwest with Lisa and Amanda

Things I'll miss about Portland

-Spending time with and being near family

-Hanging out with friends

-Developing relationships with my church family

-Powell's

-Art and culture (museum, theater, music, Saturday Market, city sculptures, public art)

-Knowing my way around a familiar environment (Thank the Lord for Trimet!)

-Living in a big city and exploring downtown

-The coffee culture and cool cafes

-The quirkiness of Portland and the laid-back manner of North westerners

-A sense of belonging (I will develop a sense of belonging in Okinawa, but I won't belong right away and I'll miss the comfort of that feeling.)

-Wearing fun Fall clothes (I will NOT miss the cold and the rain!)

-Having my own space and my possessions (namely my art and books)

-The Portland International Airport with its memorable purple and teal carpet

-Tillamook cheese and Mudslide ice cream

I will leave this as an open-ended list so that I can add to it later. Although maybe I'll do another list when I'm actually in Okinawa because then I'll be more keenly aware of what I'm missing. I mainly wrote this so that I could acknowledge the things I love about Portland and grieve the loss of them by expressing them.

Home in the Spirit by Rebekah Moyer

The question so often dreaded
Where is my place of belonging
on this earth?
A question easily answered
By the mouths and hearts of others.
But instead of an assigned city and state
A country describes me more adequately.
Strange looks and stereotypes surface
As a result of my response.
The two-word answer requires
The length of description allowed.
The Desire for belonging to some place
And not, therefore, estranged from another,
Has been the heartbeat of my identity
For so long.
Till the discovery of a place more permanent
That cannot be taken from me when I leave.
It is a universal language
And a family that knows no borders.

Home, that has been there
since the first day I believed.
My home, in the Spirit.