it has been almost eight months since i began my residency and “chai at the pfister”
it was may 28, 2019 when i made chai in the pfister’s executive kitchen for the first time…
every one was a first timer on that day
but since then, many of those first timers have become regulars
i know how they like their chai—
a half cup or full, with a lot of sugar or a little
they take it “to go” or sit with me & stay
they sign my guest book and share their stories—
anecdotes about where they are from and why they are here
where they are going and who they are with
they are from milwaukee and around the world
they are the pfister staff and frequent visitor
travelers and business execs
young and old
women and men
black and white
and every shade in between
and as i listen to news of drones striking and fires blazing
earthquakes shaking and protestors fighting
planes crashing and people dying
i find myself paging through my journals, volumes 1, 2 & 3
filled with their names, the places they call home, the kindest of words, and blessings and well wishes for the new year and i am filled with the hope that comes when you meet people where they are, and in those moments feel less far apart and broken than the world so often seems…
