coming into focus

This is the backyard of my Mimi's house after a rain. That's a pool in the background, but it hasn't been filled in years.

I've been back in the States almost two years now. It's been time to refocus on what's right in front, as well as stay hopeful for the future. The long term picture is fuzzy and still seems far off. There are a lot of cracks in the plan: slow going language learning, struggling for hope in what many times seems a hopeless situation, waiting, not knowing. But, the rain is a reminder of hope. The cracks can be filled so the pool can hold water again. The picture of a reservoir of playful refreshment that a pool brings to a neighborhood is one to hang on to.