Well, it happened. What I’ve been so worried about came to pass. And you know what? I survived. What’s more, it wasn’t nearly so bad as I feared it would be. Isn’t that so like our fears? How often do the things we fear turn out to be worse than we imagine? More often than…
‘Cause I could spend my life just trying to sift through What I could’ve done better but what good do “what if’s?” do? From “Forget And Not Slow Down” by Relient K I have a lot of regrets. Actually, “a lot” may be a bit of an understatement. They come in all shapes and sizes. Here…
Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread and in my humble opinion, utterly delish. What peanut butter is to America, Nutella is to most of Europe. I happen to love Nutella. I especially love Nutella and peanut butter together. I like to think they go together even better than peas and carrots. Somewhere around 5-7 weeks ago, I…
I wrote the following last summer after about 6 weeks of living in a fog that had been growing more and more dense with each passing day. I squirmed. A lot. I really wanted to know what was next. I needed to know what was next, or so I thought. The voice of truth, reason…
A year ago April I had the opportunity to visit with my dear friend Amy and her husband Michael. At the time Amy was just weeks away from her due date and had recently quit her job to prepare for their first child, as they had planned. Just days after my visit Michael lost his…
Lessons from the kennel My dog, Cali, like most dogs, has excellent hearing. Even when she’s sleeping. This is impressive to me because, like her handler, Cali is also a fantastic sleeper. Another thing to know about Cali is that she loooooooooves butter. What is crazy to me, is how she can be fast asleep…
written May, 23, 2023 Four. She ate four. And they had to be the pesto ones. Sunday evening I made bagels. I really like bagels. I miss bagels. I can’t find them anywhere here. And I rarely make them. The last time I made bagels was maybe four or five years ago. This time I…
Written late January 2023 “You are right where you are supposed to be.” I believe that, but I often have no clue how’s it true. How could I be where I am supposed to be when I’m running 10 minutes late for an appointment? I was reminded of this truth this past weekend in a…
Saturday morning, my laptop broke. I had taken it with me to a coffee shop where I had planned to get some work done but while at the register paying for my drink, the computer slipped from my hands and slid to the ground with a mild thud. I wasn’t initially worried, thinking there was…
I first learned about ginestra (Genista) about six or seven years ago, from my friend, Antonio. Also called Mount Etna broom or by its scientific name, genista aetnensis, this small shrub/tree is endemic to Sicily and Sardegna. In the summer, these shrubs become covered in small, fragrant yellow flowers that smell a bit like jasmine.…
March 2022: I wrote the following in October of 2016 but never posted this. It was written near the height of the influx of refugees who were pouring into Europe both from Africa and the Middle East. Thanks to Russia’s violent invasion of its neighbor just over a week ago, now Europe has a new…
When lack of communication leads to huge blessing. I believe it was in the fall of 2014, or at the latest, the beginning of 2015 when Stephanie was asked by our friend, Giuseppe, to come to his church to translate for a visiting pastor from Canada. What Giuseppe didn’t know is the visiting pastor had…
Tomorrow is what I call my Anniversary Day. While I first arrived in Sicily 8.5 years ago, it was 7 years ago tomorrow when I moved to Belpasso, visa in hand. These photos were taken 7 years ago today, as I was getting ready to board my first flight. While I may have a smile…
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in a local event organized by a former English student of mine and the new and rapidly growing non-profit: Plastic Free. Over the course of less than two hours, a group of local residents of all ages, about 20 of us in total, succeeded in collecting…
We can live without a lot of things but one of the few essential things all of us humans need daily is water. When we don’t have water, there is little else that takes precedence over our need to get it. This need of ours is actually really quite demanding if you think about it.…
I have been so deeply saddened by what has been going on in our country, not just on January 6th but in the years leading up to these recent events that made the church’s connection with what has just happened, possible to begin with. I know there will be some who will read this…
Have you ever met someone who was the spitting image of someone else? More often than not, when we say someone is the “spitting image” (or “spit n’ image”, see below for more information about the origins of the phrase) of someone else, it’s in reference to a child’s close similarity with one of their…
Faithfulstill 