Susan Pogorzelski

"Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." Because it’s there. I know it’s there, this work I’ve created full of hope and heart, and maybe that’s what matters. I don’t know if what I’m building will be seen. I don’t know if the words I’m sharing will be heard. But they’re here for those who need it. And I’ll keep sharing. I’ll keep building. I promise I won’t ever stop. Word by word, carved bird

I’ve never written these words before. I’ve spoken them out loud to family, wrapped them up in fiction for my book, alluded to them in passing when I thought someone needed to hear them: the reason why I stayed. But I’ve never written them down before—not concretely, not completely, not like this. I need to give you some background, so you understand me before you understand what I’m about to say. I tend to see life as an artist—through all of its sorrows and all of its pain,