The slaughter of 20 innocent first-grade children in Newtown, Connecticut last week sickens and disheartens us all. There is some pathos that the tragedy occurred the day after I sent out my meditation "I'm dreaming of a safe Christmas" dedicated to vulnerable children. That it happened during Advent season, when we are re-reading wondrous Christmas … Continue reading Joy Deep As Sorrow

This year I've found new courage to open myself to the tragic problems we lump together under the term "children in crisis". This refers especially to children living alone on the streets of the world, children in abusive labor, and trafficked children. Frankly, it takes a good deal of courage to engage these issues. They … Continue reading I’m Dreaming of a Safe Christmas

I got the call a little after 7am this morning from a mutual friend in Chicago: "Mark is dancing in eternity.  He's not suffering any longer."I've just lost the most faithful friend I've ever had, or that I expect I'll ever have.  Actually, I never expected to have this one.  But I suppose friends like … Continue reading The Day the Music Died

Too often, I speed through stories of impact and of personal transformation. Maybe it's an occupational hazard in my work and my drive to "get everything done."  In the process, I miss the real story, of struggle, of aspirations, hopes, dreams and fervent prayers.  Like those times when a long lost friend says-- as one … Continue reading Traveling at the Speed of Life

I'm sitting on a screen porch at a lake in Wisconsin.   We are taking a few days away from our visit to Chicago where we are visiting our dearest family friend, who is in the late stages of terminal lymphoma.  This is a chance to renew and refresh before our final days together.The evening cool is … Continue reading Living Behind the Screen

I’ve got bad feet.  I learned this when, at about age 30, I was determined to get more exercise and decided to try jogging.  Soon my heals were hurting and cracking, well beyond the deep cracks they’d had as long as I could remember.  I finally ended up at the podiatrist’s office to get my … Continue reading Good News for Bad Feet

In my last meditation I mentioned little Jose Antonio, our sponsored child in Tijuana, and his apparent learning disability.  We've now asked World Vision Mexico to find out more about his situation and to let us know what can be done.  We might want to help financially beyond our sponsorship commitment.As a parent, we always … Continue reading Christmas in Summer

The Pink (and Blue) Elephants in the RoomBecause of Child Sponsorship, I didn't have a prayer.I took a group of women to Tijuana last week, my first trip there in 2 years.  My last visit was also with Women of Vision, and some of the same women were on this trip.  In the morning, we … Continue reading The Pink (and Blue) Elephants in the Room

Last evening, Janet and I watched an episode of the Ken Burns' documentary Baseball which focused on Babe Ruth and the singular, unparalleled impact he has had on the game. One small factoid really jumped out at me: George Ruth (his given name) was born into a poor family in Baltimore in 1895, the oldest … Continue reading The Difference A Century Makes

It's often endearing to hear non-native speakers try to communicate in English.  Often their childlike word choices are actually quite communicative, yet in ways that we don’t expect. On my latest trip to the Afar desert, we received the obligatory overview briefing from the field workers before visiting the project sites.  I was pushing the … Continue reading Raised From Their Beds