Under the Same Sky: A Memoir of Survival, Hope, and Faith

by Joseph Kim

and it was supposed to teach us two things. First, that the desires of the rich are cruel and unrealistic, so unrealistic that they demand summer fruit in the middle of winter. Second, that a child’s devotion to her parent, if strong enough, can work miracles.

You can even yearn for a prison, so long as it contains the people and places you love.

I have always been skeptical of moments that change people’s lives. Progress is painful and slow; in my experience, it doesn’t come in a flash from the sky.

Right now, I thought, we only share the stars. But I can look up at night and see that you are under the same sky. That will have to be enough until I find you.