Oh, my goodness. I can hardly believe this. If you read my story yesterday, you will remember I was facing an extra-long day of travel between Spain and home, feeling weak, physically and emotionally, and I wrote: I go, remembering:  I am known and loved. I go, expecting:  God will help me, strengthen me, and … Continue reading A Valentine Surprise, P.S. →

“God never asks us to do what we cannot do, but what we think we cannot do. Then He waits to see how we will respond.” I heard that quote in February, 2008, at the sad funeral service in Ethiopia of a young Australian man who was tragically electrocuted. That quote was said to be … Continue reading A Valentine Surprise →

I am in the Miami airport, on my way to Spain to visit Daughter #3. This is an airport I passed through many times the twenty years we lived in South America. The first time I was here was when our little family was moving to Bolivia in 1984. That Daughter #3 was an eight … Continue reading My Real Friend →

Straightening and decluttering . . .  I like doing that around my house. My bedroom closet needs straightening and decluttering right now. Clothes and stuff seem to reproduce in there. It’s time for me to take charge and move some of that stuff to the resale shop. Closets have limits, you know. This past week … Continue reading The Jar →

“It’s okay to make mistakes,” the card, quoting a child, said. And on the inside, “That’s why God made pencils with erasers.” That is true, that part about it being okay to make mistakes, but not all mistakes are created equal.   On the way between my house and the grocery store there is a … Continue reading Mistakes →

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 →