To those of you who have been reading, and who have told me you enjoy the stories I tell: my thanks!  I am proud to share my work with you, and grateful that there are those who also have concern for the humans in my charge.  Many of you have been asking for more updates about them, and so I have just made a trip to the Garden to give you the most current news.

Lamarr and Tammy are together now.  The two of them are going through the first tests of their relationship—Tammy’s mother disapproves of Lamarr, and her opinion is putting strain on both of them.  When I have a spare moment—which is not often, given the limitation on time spent on the surface—I have been going to visit her, to try and soften her feeling.  I am not certain what it is that troubles her.  It is something to do with his work, and something to do with his faith (which horrifies me) and a bit to do with his skin color (which confuses me).

Danit has told me that the self-imposed isolation many humans use to protect themselves has many forms.  They will use whatever differences they see between themselves and other humans to put up spiritual walls.  Differing beliefs, differing opinions, even differing appearances.  It is tragic, but true, and one of the tools of the Enemy.

Of course, one should honor the father and mother, but first one should seek the light and draw it in.  My hope is that Tammy will be strong enough not only to see past her mother’s fear and self-defense, but that her joy in Lamarr will soften her mother’s fears.

As for Ramona and Jesse, matters continue at a slower pace.  They have met several times, always with Peter or another of Jesse’s friends present to translate and ease the stress.  Both of them now are hopeful that there is admiration in the eyes of the other, though neither finds it easy to believe.  I have been blowing on those sparks[1], so to speak.

To my regret, I have not been given a new case—seeing as both of my current assignments are in delicate situations, Danit has asked me to keep my focus on them.  It is not that I do not want to help them, quite the opposite.  But I did hope to meet someone new.

Ah—for those of you who may be interested, Nehisi tells me that Lila and her boyfriend, Van, are doing better.  Her act of initiating their joining, of welcoming him in, has eased the tension between them, and now they are moving towards one another, not away.  I am pleased that my small intervention had a good influence on them.

There is little else to tell.  When anything changes in my cases, I will write again with news.

 

[1] To make a fire, one must first make a spark, and then blow air on it to make it stronger.  This is something called a metaphor—the humans make comparisons between two very different things, often a physical item in comparison to an idea or a theory.  In this case, I compare the sparks of a flame to the hope that may build into joy.  It is my first metaphor—what do you think?