The past few days have been filled with work. Not the kind of work that academics love to do. But the one that people who truly love what they do. It’s sublime, forces you to be still, so the words flow. Word work is becoming my solace in the middle of this pandemic. It’s not enough that you read the words too, but you also hear it and feel it. That’s my goal. Every single word strung together, will be full of grace, full of a melody so smooth, so satisfying like a choir of heavenly angels. Ultimately each word one it’s own or together, should force you into a dialogue with me. Force is you into my path. Force you to take a closer look at my intentions, my purpose with putting these words, my thoughts together.

As I type this, the sounds of my baby awake in the other room forces me to put anything that comes to mind down in a hurry. My children running water above in their bedroom also forces me to rush through my thoughts. They are after all they treasures I have, the reason for focusing one what matters. Word work requires this. The past few months reminds us all to stay alert to those things that matter, the things we hold dear, like my children, my peace, my journey through a life full of questions, in search of endless ones, all committed to lasting, all committed to putting words together in ways that make tell the story of my purpose. I watched my baby try to crawl the other day and for him, I know that what matters is critical. What matters, even with word work, like learning to crawl is urgent. I may not know the outcome of the exercise, the outcome of each experience, but I am committed. Every word matters. Every word is for you too. To keep what you can or discard what you must. It was always yours to keep. The essence of every essay I write is always with you in mind. Keep, I say, always, what matters. It has always been my intent even on the journey to making sense of words that work together nicely. I hope you join me on this journey.