Pretty darn small.

Let’s just acknowledge that the earth is a tiny planet full of organisms that we recognize or we do not.

And when I recognize a plant or a bug in my garden, that is one thing.

All those faces in the world: those that I do not know and the ones that I am familiar with, the ones that I love, the ones that I work with, the faces from my youth, family faces, strong resemblance, passing familiarity, the resonance of faces.

Sunday, tired but excited to see friends, we were in Madrid with our host and his daughter. It’s Sunday, and one of the must see Madrid experiences only happens on Sundays and public holidays – the flea market at el Rastro.  We got off the Metro at Sol and walked in to the Plaza Mayor.  We weren’t there for very long when I hear, “Mom, isn’t that Mr. Stone from your school?”

Yes, one of my friends from work was in the Plaza with a group of students that he had planned on taking to Japan – but earthquake/tsunami damage to the places they were to travel forced a change in location. The small world. We’ve caught sight of them a couple of times, but I’ve let them have their own experience of Madrid and Toledo where we saw them at a distance.

The faces of those we know and love stay with us. I can close my eyes and find in that quiet space the faces of the people who I keep in my heart. They startle me with their nearness, just as I was surprised on Sunday by the sweet convergence of friends, colleagues, children, students – my family in this world, here on the other side of the world.

Photo is of my mother and my uncles – biological and familial.