This quote about love and life brightened my day. When I find heartwarming quotes, I enjoy passing them on. Emerson’s not the only one who wishes these things for you. I hope that you find them, too: “This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the
Tomorrow, I turn thirty-two. I just realized that, not only is my birthday on the sixteenth of September, but this is my sixteenth blog post. And if I were to divide the years of my life in half, I would also get the number sixteen. (Finding patterns in numbers reassures me that life makes sense.)
Jerrie wiped tears from her eyes. I sat near her, observing her reactions to this historic event. Ten of us had gathered in a charming nineteenth century bed and breakfast this afternoon. We were there to celebrate my husband’s grandmother, Jerrie Mock, and the record that she set on April 17, 1964, when she became
We can’t afford to fly to Paris right now, but we did walk through this “Paris” a few months ago. After our good friends supplied us with their extra Disney tickets, we decided to go for a leisurely stroll through Epcot’s World Showcase. Yes, Paris is much smaller in Orlando than it is in France,
It takes effort to be compassionate. I would label myself as someone who cares deeply about others, but I struggle to be compassionate almost every day. It’s easy to go through the motions of kindness: to show some concern, respond with a caring phrase, do someone a quick favor. I’ve learned how to do that
I love planning trips. When I’m excited about an upcoming trip, I’ll often research it for weeks. I tend to approach life as “a maximizer.” Basically, I try to get every last drop of beauty and value out of each experience. So, when I travel, I want to understand the local culture, discover the most
I got my first Bible before I was old enough to read it: it was a small New Testament with a white cloth cover. My mom had lovingly sewn lace around the edges and cross-stitched a lamb onto the front. I was just learning to write my name when she gave it to me, and
My favorite city in Guatemala is a charming colonial town known as Antigua. People go there to see its cobblestoned streets, brightly-painted houses, elaborate churches and ruins, colorful festivities leading up to Easter, and beautiful parks. You can see a panoramic view of its central park, Parque Central, in the video below. One of my
I love to commemorate the passage of time, to celebrate each new chapter of life. I try to reflect on the positive things that have happened, and I enjoy daydreaming about the excursions and special events that are coming up. Over the years, I’ve experimented with a variety of record-keeping techniques in order remember the
While I was living in Guatemala, I developed a fascination for ruins. They provided a lovely, peaceful hideaway from the chaos, the poverty, and the unpredictability that I encountered on a regular basis. As I entered these ruins, I could finally take a breath. These walls that remained had been standing for centuries, and they
