31 August 2014 Before embarking on the Camino de Santiago (a pilgrimage through Spain), I pounded the pavement, dirt roads, hiking trails and any other surface that might provide some sort of physical conditioning.  One of my routes close to home, led me by a construction site. I watched as the ground was leveled, wooden […]

Medallions attached to my backpack for traveling to Kenya Besides the gift of all of you, I carry a few icons of hope with me to Kenya to remind me of who I am. Crucifix–the source of all mercy, always Mother Teresa--the model of humility, spiced with courage and perseverance Camino shell–points me to The […]

One of the reasons I love Kenya, January 2020 If you missed the first part of this blog, simply scroll down and read it. …..Obviously, since you are reading this, I survived the flight, even catching a few hours of sleep.  I landed in Doha around 5:30 PM the next day (eleven hours ahead of […]

This story begins with this photo taken in 2006. It was a hot day and we traveled far to visit this family. If you look closely at the photo you can see the despair etched on faces.  A mama and a daughter-in-law whose lives are forever changed as HIV/AIDS claimed the lives of mama’s ten […]

I met John several years ago while making a home visit in the rural area of Kenya. It is John who inspired the dream of opening a palliative care center/hospice house. A dream that is getting closer to becoming a reality. For John I still remember his face smooth as butter, rich and dark as […]

On an autumn afternoon, I meet a friend for tea. We sit outside, kitty- corner from one another, vying for the last rays of sunshine peeking over the roof of the café and warm our hands with cups of Earl Grey. It has been months since we’ve seen each other, and yet time and distance […]

All this hurrying will soon be over. Only when we tarry do we touch the holy.    Rilke   A summer morning finds me sitting by an open window in Café Don Diego, a small café near the plaza with the yellow and white La Iglesia de Merced. Homework (tarea) is spread across the small wooden […]

Mother’s Day 2019 The guy who invented the Post-It-Note was a genius. I love sticky notes—these seemingly innocuous pads of pale-yellow paper with the right amount of adhesive on the top allowing them to stick to just about any surface, are remarkable. It is amazing how much writing will fit on that little 3”X 3” […]

Shock as new widow ‘strangles, dumps baby in toilet’ “A village in Githunguri, Kiambu County, was in shock yesterday after a woman allegedly strangled and dumped her two-week old baby in a pit latrine.  When the body was retrieved, residents of Kamburu Village suspected that the 40-year old woman was embarrassed after giving birth to […]

My friend, Kenyan Deaconess Callen contacted me recently via whatsapp. She sent me a a photo of a woman, Virginia, we had visited together in the slums of Kawangware in August 2014 and again in 2019. Callen wrote “She is very weak. Let’s join hands praying for her.” Today, I resurrect and revise a 2014 […]