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 →

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 →