It is difficult, near impossible, to write about poverty witnessed in another country.  I haven’t lived it, only witnessed the surface of it. And try as I might, I cannot fully understand it. From my eleven years of traveling to Africa and other developing countries, I’ve come to see my own helplessness in these situations. […]

I recently returned from a whirlwind trip through Portugal and Spain.  And while it seemed we were always on the move, there was much to see and soak in. There was the beauty of changing landscapes: olive groves of Andalusia, orange trees of Valencia, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the plains of La Mancha, the waters […]

“To love someone means to see them as God intended.”                                                                                               Fyodor Dostoyevsky My mama about age 11 Ten years ago, I sat by my mother’s bedside as she was recovering from surgery. I don’t remember the exact context of our conversation but I was prompted to ask, “Mama, what is your greatest fear?” Her reply […]

A couple of months ago, when visiting my mama and step-father, I loaded a rectangular, wooden box into my trunk. This tiny trunk contained treasures I planned to use to create a memory book for my mama. I’d read an article written by a daughter who did this for her mother who had Alzheimer’s and […]

A few days ago, I visited a family who recently welcomed their third child into the world. This family had sat vigil for several days waiting for baby Ryan to be born. Their time of waiting ended in great rejoicing. And as I cradled this newborn in my arms, I could feel my harried-ness of […]

A friend of mine recently told me that mothers hold the sorrows of their children, even, and perhaps especially, after they’ve grown up and moved away. We may not even know the particular sorrow, but we sense it and embrace it nonetheless; Perhaps we offer it up in prayer. After my mother died, I discovered […]

For those of you who travel with me through the words on this blog, you’re probably aware of my longing to open a hospice house in rural western Kenya. Longing creates a sense of anticipation and hope. Longing also involves a sense of loss as what was once imagined morphs into something new.  Longing also […]

All Saints Day Sunday 2019 The yard with her fallen leaves beckoned me outdoors this All Saints Day Sunday.  Bent over to gather raked up leaves, and to pull a few stubborn weeds, the sun warmed my back and thoughts of my mama soothed my weary soul. It has been three months since she died. […]

Visits in the slums of Nairobi. Deaconess Caren in the beautiful African dress is the icon of mercy. 10 August 2014 Kawangware (one of the slums of Nairobi) The Congo (a neighborhood of Kawangware) The smell assaults you before anything else. Not the usual smells belonging to Nairobi and her slums—the acrid smoke from indoor […]

This time of year in Northern California, the sun comes up early and graces us with light till late evening. Today, as I headed out for an early morning walk, the sun had long risen, its soft rays peeking through the myriad leaves of trees–who knew green had so many variations?! My day was just […]