-
The “Give Me Money!” Corner
I had the luxury of gazing out the window across the Rift Valley, high on the escarpment somewhere between Lilongwe and Blantyre. The driver, not so much. His eyes were fixed on the road, watching for potholes. Our vehicle neared a notoriously entertaining bend in the road. As expected, children scampered all over the tarmac,…
-
An Unsettling Question
I simply took it for granted. There is no other explanation or excuse. I didn’t even know what questions to ask that would help me creep out from behind the veil of intellectual certitude. When I asked the question, I didn’t understand the burden that would arise when I heard the answer. We were driving…
-
Stewardship of another type
[This is Part II of a series. For context, please start with Part I before proceeding.] I recently wrote about stewarding our vehicle. While it may seem a trivial matter, the minivan made a difference in the lives of those who were served with a warm ride to a migrant processing center in the middle…
-
Stewardship of a surprising type
Peanuts, pine needles, and the odd Pez. That’s what the vacuum sucked out of the minivan recently. Over a decade old, it’s been through California mountain snow storms and Middle East dust bowls, rolled along beachy byways and expansive superhighways. I love it not only because it has served us well, but because it has…
-
We Are Children
For many years I have tracked news from around the globe and around the city where I live, wherever that happens to be at the time. One thing has always been abundantly clear– something is tragically off. So I’m not alone in my inclination to throw up my hands and head to the observation deck.…
-
The Presence of Kings
No one embarks on a journey by camel lightly. Traversing the breathtaking landscape of “the East” to meet the King of the Jews, the learned scholars from a foreign land most certainly believed their efforts would not be in vain. They had one purpose in mind when they saw the star arise from their easterly…
-
Personally Practicing Prevention
This year we had the opportunity to travel to nearly ten countries. Aside from the normal processes of purchasing tickets, booking rentals cars and lodging, coordinating meet-ups with friends, planning the itinerary, and the new normal of PCR tests and passenger locator forms, we did what we’ve always done – check our vaccination cards to…
-
The Car Seat Racket
By far one of the most tedious aspects of travel in this season of family life is the daunting ‘hauling of the car seat’. Heavy and durable, it slides with great effort into a canvas bag that can be carried on the back of whichever parent is the beast of burden for the day. When…
-
Cape Town during a pandemic
Before every move we have a ‘List’ discussion. We list two or three places we want to go if we get a long break. We list three to five places we want to go on a long weekend. I won’t travel to those places without my husband. Those are reserved for family trips. After one…
-
The Gift
The details are hazy, but the mental snapshots are clear. There were palm trees and red tile roofs, individual buildings interspersed with tropical plants and the occasional bird of paradise. The images are faded in the orange glow of a Mediterranean sun. Perhaps we took a bus to this location, far from our apartment complex…