“I once promised my progeny to this place and my bones to this soil. I once opined that, perhaps, after five generations, my desert-bound genes would know this corner of the earth as I would like to know it now. The secrets would be revealed upon proof of requisite dedication. What happened to that dedication?
Our dreams hit the economic realities of Moab, and so dedication ceded its reign to the shine of a newly minted future. It feels like a betrayal that Moab could not provide us the chance to hope for something better… without also proffering the burden of untenable debt. It is a sadness – but not a surprise – that dedication and ardor were not enough. Ardor does not pay the bills.”

—excerpted from “Migration,” The Times-Independent, 20 Sept., 2012—