I was alone, seated at the dining room table in the house who hosted me during my trip to Quito, Ecuador. The chair moved a bit. I thought it was my imagination. Then the table moved from side to side. I jumped to my feet and my heart beat fast. What flashed through my mind …
A wake up call is one of the “must-do’s” when I stay in any hotel during my travels. So, in my recent trip last week, right before I laid my head on the pillow, I grabbed the phone to dial “0” for the front desk. I pressed it and pressed it again. But there was …
As I slipped under the covers in the hotel room this past weekend, I sunk my head on the pillow and enjoyed a good night’s sleep. But I confess, years ago, I’d never be able to do that that—travel by myself, unable to see the surroundings, spend the night alone in a hotel in a …
I gasped when I read this headline: “Chinese Woman Mistakes Airplane Exit as Bathroom, Deploys Evacuation Slide.” Her mistake was all over the news. The process to put back the slide in place delayed the flight for hours. Her passport was confiscated and she probably went home with a suitcase filled with embarrassment. That’s what …
Decades ago, while still in my hometown of La Paz, Bolivia, birthday celebrations were a big thing. With a handful of invitations, I ran from house to house on the dirt streets where my friends lived. Anticipation danced in my heart as I delivered them with pride because my Mom had designed them with colorful …
I received a peck on the cheek as I hugged a small, frail woman. “Welcome beautiful visitor,” she said. She brought small bowls of rice to feed the children who gathered outside her tiny nipa hut nestled in the rural areas of the island of Mindanao, Philippines. In the midst of the humid, scorching heat, …
Sometimes the biggest obstacle is the fear we pack in our suitcase when we travel through life. We stood at the doorway of the hotel room. “Is there anything I can do for you?” the lady who picked me up from the airport asked. “Well…thanks,” I said, “only one thing…can you go in the bathroom …
“We went to the library to take a class to learn about preventing Alzheimer’s,” my friend said. “Good idea,” I said, “but aren’t our parents the ones who need help in this department?” My friend began naming the things one can do to keep the memory sharp. “There are things like listening to a variety …
What were they thinking? The Israelites had God by their side. They had food shower from heaven. And they counted on God’s protection against those awful Egyptians. But as they shuffled through the desert, were they grateful? Not really. Check out how they react. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the …
“Goals for the new year? Are you kidding? My goal is just to survive another day,” my friend said. Can you almost feel her heavy heart? It’s a common thing. Facing a new year, new issues and a new future, uncertainty gnaws. We wonder about what tomorrow will bring. How much darker violence can get. …