You Can't Touch This

These boys have me wrapped around their little fingers.

 There are a lot of lonely people out there

who feel disconnected,

and lost in the space between 

themselves and other people.

This is a universal experience, 

yet borders seem to magnify it.

For reasons I haven't quite understood,

once you cross a border it's like, 

for many people,

you stop existing.  

You have fallen off the ends of the earth.

The funny part is that in a country the size of the United States,

living outside the country is sometimes closer then living in the country.

For example, 

visiting my family in Seattle

is only a 9-10 hour flight from Korea.

Yet, when I went to college in Nashville 

I was 16-20 hours away from my home in Talkeetna.

Still, folks consider my move to Korea more of a displacement.

I can tell you right now, 

it was not.

That said, 

whether I'm in Alaska, Tennessee or South Korea,

maintaining a connection with my family is my priority.

They are the light of my life and the beat of my heart.

Thankfully, they feel the same way,

and we don't let each other miss out on all the important days.

They set a place for me at Thanksgiving dinner,

and I join them at 8am via Skype.

My brother Skyping me 
from his Russian hospital bed,
even while getting a consult from his Dr
just so I know he's pulling through.

Planning my sister a surprise 30th birthday
and filling it with Skype dates for her with people 

from all over the world who miss her. 

My nephews calling from Russia 
to learn about Korea,
and to just say hello.

We make sure to have smart phones and FaceTime 

and we take each other on virtual tours of places 

the other has never been.

My aunt and cousins calling to chat about their days
and just be a family.

We use text messaging to keep each other posted

with moment to moment photo of our daily delight

and the knowledge that we are loved.

Basically, we always remember 

that the other needs the other

and that is all the heart truly needs.