I couldn’t help but feel good about the energy in Kraus Hall. The vibe was buoyant, a tide that lifted me over my first, and only, wave of self-doubt. I so wanted to deliver on the warmth and anticipation I felt from our guests. I opened with this passage from Sayonara Cowboy.

“Imagine memories inside old scrapbooks, warped and collecting dust in an old woman’s attic. I want to save them being gnawed by insects and time. When you peel back memory’s skin, you must claim all of it while you can, even when it hurts. This is how you reconcile your shames and remember what was good, beautiful, and loving. This is how you find out who you are, and who you intend to become. This is the story I want to tell you.”

My hope is that the story reaches out to those who have, at some time, felt lost and yearned to belong and find home. I’m mindful of Basho’s wisdom that, “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”