In October I spent ten days in Israel and Palestine, imbibing personal stories of conflict and trauma, peace and reconciliation. Crisscrossing through checkpoints and polishing off plates of falafel and homemade maqluba, I immersed in historical narratives and the living history of today. In the diversity, a common thread was exposed. Perhaps a banal observation,… Read More Universality of humanity in Israel and Palestine
Parents sometimes go to great lengths to create special moments and learning experiences for children. At the Grand Canyon’s north rim in Arizona, we dutifully assisted our children with completing their ranger booklets (available for free at the ranger station). This took a good part of two days to complete successfully. We hiked several short… Read More The Grand Canyon’s North Rim Duck
I have forgotten her name. I woke up this morning, fresh from a dream about Romania. It’s been over a year since we returned to the United States, so Romania is only a dream now. In the final months of our year-long stay in the rural south, we befriended new neighbors. These neighbors lived around… Read More Forgotten Names in Romania
As an obsessive, serial relocater, my heart is often pulled toward the next possibility. Will we live overseas? Global south? Middle East? Adventure awaits somewhere. But over the course of many relocations, I’ve also learned you must determine to love where you live. For the moment, that place is near East Village in downtown San Diego.… Read More Love Where You Live – East Village, San Diego, California
It happens to every parent or caregiver. You intend to visit the museum or library, but you get stuck for hours at the playground outside. The weather is sublime, birds are soaring overhead, the kids are having the time of their life. Why turn this idyllic moment into a battle of loading up the stroller… Read More San Diego in Six Playgrounds
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” That? That tiny little table? That is where she penned those most famous of novelic opening lines? A true writer, I suppose, just needs three things – pen and paper and a flat surface… Read More Jane Austen had a sister – Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton, England
I have distinct memories of my dad chuckling while silently reading weathered copies of James Herriot’s writings. As an adult, on a one years stint back in Mozambique, I picked up those same copies of Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series and I read, for the first time, literature I could truly call exquisitely written and heartwarming. Literally.… Read More The World of James Herriot – Thirsk, Yorkshire, England
