The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

by Deborah Rodriguez

But you should not be going with him. You should be going with someone you love. Because everything we do in life matters. One thing leads to another.”

you. What is in our hearts is never a one-way street. Only as children when we’re too young to understand the signs do we love unrequitedly. If you love, it’s because you feel its power reflected back on you.”

A flock of birds flew by in that miracle V formation, their wings fluttering hard and their bodies black against the vibrant blue sky, and just for a moment, she was up there with them.

“You will find that thing that makes you unafraid to die. That important thing that makes your life of value.”

All these years, Isabel thought that being a journalist was the thing of value that she was bringing to the party. Now she knew there was more. Now she knew that a person had to act, to be truly engaged, in order to make a real difference. Mum, Isabel thought, it’s taken me eons to understand. But now I do.

“Let us meditate on the meaning of love and loss, of life and death. The contemplation of death should plant within the soul elevation and peace. Above all, it should make us see things in their true light. Grief is a great teacher when it sends us back to serve and bless the living.

we do not despair for we are more than a memory fading to darkness. With our lives we give life, and Isabel’s life gave life to many. Let us continue her work and her love here on earth.

Sunny felt a profound sense of powerlessness—that she, like every other being on the planet, was at the mercy of the gods.