Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around …
The doors of the plane were closing as he hurried down the aisle to find an empty spot in the crowded plane. Michelle and I were attempting a classic “being very busy” stance to protect the sacred middle seat between us when we heard his weathered voice ask if it …
The windows are open, filling the room with sweet spring green beauty and the symphony of birds. There is a hush to this day. And then sirens in the distance take me to Wednesday. And Monday. And 18 months ago. And 8 years ago. And 12 years ago. And 18 …
There are moments when life seems to flow from the pen in beautiful poetry and prose, and there are times when it feels more like an unfinished sentence – all full of scribbles and grappling for the right words. And doodles. Lots of doodles. There are so many doodles on …
But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It’s a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright. ~Bob Goff, Love Does I’ve been doing a lot of pondering lately about things like …
The fields are on fire. In places like Guatemala and Uganda, the white plumes rise like tufts of air-spun cotton across the countryside as the farmers burn to prepare for the planting of their crops. The scent of sweet smoke lingers in the air. As I breathe it in, I …
There are some things that deserve to be repeated, over and over again, like a most favorite song. For me, one of those things has become Buttermilk Pie. Now, in Guatemala there’s no such thing as buttermilk, so we have to improvise a little with regular milk and vinegar, but …
The spirit of every human is like a kite which rises by means of those very forces which seem to oppose its rise; the tie that joins it to earth, the opposing winds of temptation and the load of earth-born affections which it carries with it into the sky. ~ …
A broken soul is not the absence of beauty, but a cracked and torn soul reeks of the sweet incense it contains. ~C. JoyBell C. The ravine sits at the end of a dirt road on the outskirts of Chimaltenango. Every day, families come to dig through the mountain …
His name is Edgar. He is our bus driver, charged with the daunting task of getting 23 people from here to there on a daily basis. Though we’ve only known him for two days, he has been our guardian angel in traffic, along winding roads filled with detours due to …
I first met you in 2007. The room at Orphanage #2 was crowded and stuffy, and there were new shoes everywhere. You waited patiently as each child was seated and given their gift. There were shoes just for you. Shoes you wouldn’t have to share with anyone. You smiled that …