Pretending Everything Is Normal

Dearest Rachel – The last few overseas trips I’ve taken have started off with a ride to the airport first thing in the morning, or even in the wee hours, prompting me to wake up absurdly early in order to catch my flight. Not so today; with the flight scheduled for four in the afternoon,Continue reading “Pretending Everything Is Normal”

An Hour or Two of Calm

Dearest Rachel – First thing in the morning, I find myself sitting up in bed, firing up the computer and starting this letter to you. Thankfully, I’m not fighting off another cold – the one Daniel and I both just dealt with (although I’m not sure if he isn’t still dealing with the symptoms; likeContinue reading “An Hour or Two of Calm”

Dreamscape Anime

Dearest Rachel – Another absurdly early morning, another series of very strange visuals as I found myself swimming towards the surface of consciousness. I’m not sure if it’s worth telling you about, since there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of a coherent storyline to it all, but hey, you always used toContinue reading “Dreamscape Anime”

Do I Try to Keep Up?

Dearest Rachel – I’ve told you numerous times in the past three and a half years that I’d prefer not to talk about current events with you. Aside from the obvious fact that nothing that’s happening on this tiny little mud clod in of much concern to you at this point (apart, hopefully, from Daniel,Continue reading “Do I Try to Keep Up?”

The Anachronistic Call

Dearest Rachel – It all felt so real in the moment, honey. Dreams often do, I guess; it’s why you used to tell me yours so many mornings, and why you would ask me if I’d had any in turn. It was a middle school field trip; we were visiting a local theme park, althoughContinue reading “The Anachronistic Call”

Chaotic Denouement

Dearest Rachel – Those two words in the title, while not directly contradictory or outright oxymoronic, don’t seem to go together, do they? After all, the denouement of a story is when things wind down; we’re within sight of ‘the end,’ and all those deserving of it begin living their own little “happily ever afters.”Continue reading “Chaotic Denouement”

Bolt From the Black

Dearest Rachel – It was half past three; I checked almost immediately after it happened. My mind was just wrapping up a dream about a flight that was forced to land in the packing lot of our church’s Des Plaines campus when there was this thunderous explosion, as if it was coming directly from ourContinue reading “Bolt From the Black”

One Feature After Another

Dearest Rachel – There are some mornings when I wonder what I’m going to tell you about; there are others where I have the odd dream or two. And then there are mornings like today. I’m just hoping I can remember everything that passed before my eyes last night, and write them all down beforeContinue reading “One Feature After Another”

Intermittent Chaos

Dearest Rachel – It wasn’t precisely a nightmare, as such, but it was one of those dreams that you wake up from feeling quite glad that it wasn’t reality. Well the bulk of what was happening has faded from my memory, I vividly recall a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke erupting at a strangeContinue reading “Intermittent Chaos”