Last year Marilyn and I met up for a weekend at a reunion in Colorado. Our time was special but shared with others dear and precious. This year I’ve come to Marilyn. And I’ve brought my tribe.

Marilyn reached out to me seven years ago. She heard my flounderings and she intentionally initiated a conversation. We’ve been talking ever since. Marilyn understands me. She accepts me without judgment. We laugh together. We weep together. We share a similar silliness and a quick seriousness. I love Marilyn deeply.

Thank you Marilyn (and your marvelous man!) for letting us bombard your New England space. Thank you for treating us to time with your family. Thank you for welcoming us and loving us all.

Note from Marilyn: The words from Robynn are kind and express the best kind of third culture kid friendship, when hearts connect a mere second after seeing or hearing each other again. Robynn has come with her amazing children, all unique personalities of their own right, and they have filled our house with laughter, fun, and bodies. We ate curry together at our favorite Pakistani restaurant, shared smoothies on our porch at night to escape the internal humidity and heat, and got blisters walking along the Freedom Trail. Mutual understanding in a disconnected, fragmented world is a gift, and with Robynn there is understanding.

It’s also one of the reasons why Communicating Across Boundaries is important to us – a safe space in a world of division. A place where we can learn more about understanding the one who is other. Thanks for being a part of this small, shared space on the internet.

About the pictures….Bronwynn, Robynn’s delightful, youngest child, was telling us how to pose. It took us a few tries before we got it right and we thought we’d share the results!