"This Much I Understand" by Wendy A. Miller

 – we tried to communicate in toddler French

We found each other when we needed finding.

Wendy A. Miller is a member of Taste Life Twice Writers. Her work has appeared in three previous Personal Story Publishing Project anthologies and on “6-Minute Stories” podcasts. Star 82 Review, Tiny Seed Journal, Grown and Flown, and more have published her essays and poetry. When she isn’t writing, she is on the fairways or meandering among Douglas fir trees near her home in Oregon, where she lives with her husband of 30 years and her son when he is home from college. View her work at www.wendyamiller.com or on Twitter @WendyAMiller35.

Author’s Talk

Wendy A. Miller

The process of writing “This Much I Understand” reveals a behind-the-scenes twist and turn of its own. The first draft entitled “A Box to Check” centered on my disinterest in taking a required high school foreign language class, but years later learned its value. The four women I developed friendships with while living in the French-speaking region of Belgium was a small part of that original essay. My Taste Life Twice writer’s group and others encouraged me to expand on the relationships, but I hesitated to spotlight the women. I felt embarrassed because I couldn’t recall their names. I didn’t keep a journal then, and social media was in its infancy. Writing emails in French was more laborious than speaking it. We never said goodbye, just drifted back to our homelands. 

The story emerged as I walked the fairways while golfing and jogging in my neighborhood. During the quiet times, like adjusting the knobs on a microscope to zoom in on a slide, I focused on blurred memories of living in Belgium, turned the people, settings, and details in my mind, and transferred the bits and pieces rediscovered into words. Then, I questioned my husband to cross-check my recollections with his. The women’s names never surfaced, but my emotional connection to them did—the laughter, the unconditional acceptance we showed each other, and the courage it took to work to know each other because of our shared language barrier. 

I hope “This Much I Understand” sparks readers to venture out of their routine. Reach out to others who are different and work to get to know them regardless of how awkward or uncomfortable it may feel. Tackle relationship building with humor, vulnerability, compassion, and humility. The effort will surely add twists and turns to your journey as I discovered. You can contact me on Twitter @WendyAMiller35 or read more of my work on my website www.wendyamiller.com Thank you for reading!—Wendy A. Miler