I began reviewing travel notes from each trip I have made to Haiti. The following notes were written in November, 2014 on my sixth trip to Haiti. I have learned an immeasurable amount since that time. My heart has not changed. With total transparency & vulnerability, I share below the exact words I wrote: 11-5-14 […]
I cried over a 5 lb bag of chicken legs that I bought for $3.97 at Hy Vee Grocery. I had flashbacks to my friend at the local market in our Haiti neighborhood. Donicia would smile up at me as she reached for the fresh chicken she had saved back just for me. She had […]
I had been visiting &/or working alongside Haitians, in Haiti, for several years. The people we love and worked alongside were my people and I was their people. I felt as though I belonged, so to speak. I very vividly remember the first time it happened. A Haitian friend and I were walking down a […]
I was hiking a state park in Oregon this week, a park filled with stunning, powerful waterfalls; a rain forest, in fact. I was steeped in an intense sense of awe and splendor when suddenly it felt as though I had been punched in the gut. The intensity stopped me in my tracks. Gallons of […]
I used to play piano with the children before Sunday School, when my kids were young. My favorite song book became worn, losing its cover over time as it was carried back and forth. It all started there, really. There were two songs I flipped past on Sunday mornings but played through when home at […]
Eyes, eye contact, windows to a soul. We reveal a lot when we share that window, allowing a peek into our very being. I was riding along a street in Haiti years ago when it struck me how many souls, adult and child alike, were peering into mine. This openness creates vulnerability. The willingness to […]
Moving is a cathartic experience for some of us. I love the written word, cannot read too much. When something strikes a cord with me, makes me feel deeply or think deeply I have the need to keep it. . . . forever?! I AM proud to report that my stacks of inspiration have shrunk […]
Sunday’s message at church was around Matthew 25:31 – 46. It tells about Jesus’ return and the separation of people, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. One of our elders (also named Matthew) spent some time discussing the behavior of sheep vs goats. I couldn’t help my mind wandering to a unique […]
Writing has not come easily in the past months. My heart and mind have been a swirl of thought, emotion and seeking. Clarity of purpose has remained and for that I am thankful. Recent encouragement came in the form of an old story. I just finished a book entitled “Gold Cord, The Story of A […]
She was working so hard, hopping from branch to branch. Up, down, over, across. The flutter of her wings caught my eye from the sun room yesterday. It was my time to take several minutes of quiet. I was attempting to quiet my racing mind as the to-do list, my own mental “wish I could […]
