"Given Up For Lost"

Rick Granger and I have been friends for many years. Well, two decades at this point. We attended Emmaus High School together, and he introduced me to Macungie Baptist Church, and then to Jesus. As the years have transformed into decades, we see each other less and less often. Yet social media and other communication technologies have made it possible to keep up with his family.

You see, Rick has not always lived in the States. Rick and Lynsey were married in 2000, after graduating college, and soon after that they moved to Chaing Mai, Thailand, to work as missionaries, specifically with MKs. I still have the little square bamboo book Lynsey put together for their supporters that first Christmas they were away. Their oldest boy was born when they returned briefly to the States; I think he's a teenager now! Then the three of them moved to Hong Kong for several years, and their daughter was born there. They moved to Boston to work on their Master's degrees, and their third child was born there. Their youngest was also born Stateside, and the family lived in the Caymans for awhile, and now the family is in Florida, where Rick and Lynsey are both teachers. There children have been blessed with an opportunity so few of us ever have: to experience different cultures not as tourists but as expatriates.

Rick began writing with that in mind. His series of non-fiction books bear the title Why Travel When You Can Live There? He shares their time in Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Caymans. He also writes a blog: http://whytravelwhenyoucanlivethere.typepad.com/

I want to share with you, though, Rick's most recent offering, a collection of short fiction gathered under the title Given Up For Lost. The flavor of the writing reminds me of an earlier era with a third-person narrator who refers to "our regiment" and "our couple," including the reader in the process of watching the characters navigate life in far-distant countries. Although the characters usually go unnamed, they are nonetheless real and well-written. "His Undoing" gives the reader a jolt with it's O'Henry-esque ending, and the short story "Given Up For Lost" is filled with tension as an outpost of civilians and soldiers' wives wait for the regiment to return. But my favorite story by far is "Threadbare and Somewhat Pathetic." Such a story, which flips what is necessary and what is luxury on its head, is perfect for this time of year, even though it is not a Christmas story. But aren't we all a bit more reflective this time of year?

If you enjoy travel, or simply wish you could, open a book that will open a door. Given Up for Lost. But really, why travel when you can live there?