Chet Tschetter

I can see the sunrise from my home. 
In it, a reminder of my Mennonite roots
and a call to my latest cautious risk
to center myself before the focus begins.

They say we are “Driven to Discover”
and I really am.
Driven to discover ways to connect
	             	    to teach
			    to share stories
of my own and others’
whose voices are what makes this personal.
I lean on my experiences because
as Gideon knows and shows, 
we’ve gotta work with what we’ve got. 

Then I’m outside and I’ve reclaimed
a part of me, missing.
Channeling Dad, I find my empathy
			  my soft heart
			  my listen-first approach, 
and I know myself,
who I am and what I believe - 
	This is just how it is.

The day is up and my me-time turns
to we-time with Laura.
She just gets it. And she’s there, with me
as I watch the sunset from my home.