Homing Instincts
Page 20
Thank you to Mary Menkedick, the most selfless, big-hearted, awe-inspiring sister a girl could hope for, who works full-time, has two fearless soon-to-be teenagers, coaches softball, runs marathons, and still finds the time to stay up until three in the morning reading messy drafts of her little sister’s motherhood book. No thank-you is big enough for you and all you give. Thank you to Jackson Menkedick for being a kindred spirit in art and life, for the shared bizarre sense of Menkedick humor, for letting me tag along on your artistic quests into the woods. I miss you. Thank you to my mom, Lois Carter, for nurturing in me a love of beauty and art; for your vivacious spurning of convention; for your loyalty, aesthetic, and sense of humor; and for your intuitive understanding of who I am. Thank you to Meg Menkedick for the care, from mittens and cheese sandwiches to Stauf’s talks to those darkest moments of uncertainty: I know now how hard it is, and how sacred. Thank you to my dad for being my rock, and for your infinite patience, infinite gentleness, and wisdom.
This book would not exist if my dad and Meg hadn’t sat down with my husband and me one summer night in 2013 and offered to let us live for a year in the cabin on their farm. Their gift, of both space and belief, is the most precious one I have ever received. I hope to do it justice as a writer and a mother.
Finally, thank you to Jorge Santiago, a far, far better man and husband than I deserve. I cannot imagine myself or my life without you. Eres mi alma, mi corazón, siempre; gracias por haberme suportado tanto tiempo. And to Elena, my sweet, sweet baby girl: my love for you is too big for this book and this life. You taught me everything worth knowing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Menkedick’s work has been featured in Harper’s, Pacific Standard, Oxford American, Aeon, Guernica, The Paris Review Daily, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh, and she was a 2015–16 Fulbright fellow in Oaxaca, Mexico. Sarah is the founder of Vela, an online magazine of nonfiction writing by women.
www.sarahmenkedick.com
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