I AM STANDING at the lakeshore with the wind whipping my hair around my face. It’s summer and the air is humid, but the breeze is a promise of a coming storm. In the distance I can see the Chicago skyline, the unmistakable architecture rising in bold modern and gothic patterns. Boats rock back and forth in their slips as joggers use the path that lines the shore.
The nearby lighthouse that I used to visit as a kid, peeks out from above the trees. The beach is packed with people, and the sound of an ice cream truck nearby is enticing. I let out a long breath and close my eyes, taking in the smell and the sounds. So familiar, yet so distant. My heart feels heavy, full of emotion that I have a hard time breathing.
There is nothing like coming home.
I take a seat on one of the benches in fr
