The horrors of our exile defy my attempts to normalize them

Normalization. I was doing it now with my children, in an attempt to banish their fear — War Camp, indeed. I do it with myself, every day, as I hear about the horrors of our exile, of fractured relationships and the hatred that still reigns between brothers. To mourn is to open up a Pandora’s box, so I pretend that it’s all just part of life. But it’s not, and the horrors of our exile defy my attempts to normalize them.

—Leah Gebber

To Lie in the Grave

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 751)