It was a spontaneous decision. We were living in an extremely hectic season -- Daughter #1's high school graduation and leaving to be in the US for one year -- but when we saw the Bolivian airline advertisement offering a cheap flight for Cuzco, Peru, we jumped at it. Jake had done the 4-day trek … Continue reading Remembering Cuzco →

Melcam Gena! “Merry Christmas!” Today is Christmas day in Ethiopia, and I have to tell you the story of two of the best gifts I’ve ever received. Because they are both Ethiopian. It was New Year’s Day in Ethiopia, September, 2002. In the rest of the world it was actually 2009. For your information, Ethiopia … Continue reading Ethiopian Gifts →

The new calendar hanging on my pantry door has a Norman Rockwell print of a grandfather laughing with two young boys. The quote with this January picture is from comic Charlie Chaplin, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Have you made any New Year resolutions?  I haven’t. Except for the same ones I … Continue reading Resolutions →

Dear Friends, Wow. I have just completed one year of blogging.  48 stories from my life. Shall I continue? I've been wondering. In spite of low readership and bits of weekly anxiety, I have enjoyed this self-imposed assignment very much. Each week God gave me a fresh idea, and when I sat down to write … Continue reading 2018, The End? →

It's New Year’s Eve. Tonight I will divide a piece of computer paper into 12 squares (6 on the front and 6 on the back) and give each square the name of a month. Then I will find my journal, take our calendar off the pantry door, and sit on the couch to review the … Continue reading My Hi-Bye Tree →

When I was a child growing up in Texas, there was a day when my dad gathered us five kids to show us “Wisconsin” on a road map and told us that we were moving there.  I distinctly remember my 7-year-old wonder: There is another place to live besides here? I enjoyed the Wisconsin winter … Continue reading Another Place →