The Artist’s Way

I’ve begun this journey through a book entitled, The Artist’s Way.  I think I enjoy spiritual direction as much as I do because to me, it’s an art form – there is creativity, wonder, and many colors in navigating and noticing my own and other’s relationship and journey with God. I’m currently working on a…

The 5 Days of Christmas

We got home yesterday from five days in Vancouver, hence the 5 days of Christmas. How was Christmas? Well, my mom broke her wrist, had to have surgery, went home on Christmas day. Nate got a fever and had diarrhea for four days. What else? Our kids had wonderful attitudes, were kind, thankful, helpful, laughed…

Grammy’s 70th Birthday

Last Wednesday the girls and I picked up my mom and headed up to Whistler to celebrate my moms 70th birthday. It was a girls only celebration. We had a lot of fun together: shared a room, ate, laughed alot, played cards, watched movies, went to the top of the moutain twice and played in…

Farewell green card carrying resident alien

I am now officially a United States citizen. Wahoo !!!! Sound the trumpet, clap loudly, sing alot, shout, jump up and down, do a little shimmy, shake a little booty……..have a celebration!!! I handed over my green card today and said goodbye to my resident alien status. I was moved today in my swearing in…

Home

Dave and I arrived safely home yesterday afternoon. I’ve been reading this book, “The Cloister Walk” and something that the author wrote struck me in particular in regards to my experience in India. The author was referring to her time spent in a monastery, but it struck me as relevant to my time away. In…

Delhi

We have been spending time here in Delhi with Sunil Sardar, his wife Pam, and their four children. They have been extremely kind, hospitable and adventuresome with Dave and I. Yesterday Pam, Sunil and a friend of theirs took us on a tour of old Delhi. We went to one of the largest mosques in…

Charminar and Laad Bazaar

This morning the group of us met for a final wrap up and question/understanding session in regard to Unitus, MFI’s and their goals. After that we went to a jewelry store because Hyderabad is famous for its pearls. We didn’t buy any but quite a few people from our group did, and Dave was a…

Village visits outside of Hyderabad

Yesterday afternoon and this morning we went in groups to visit villages 2 hours outside of Hyderabad where Unitus’s partner MFI (micro finance institution, SKS) serves clients. Clients are woman who live in the villages who collectively gather in groups of five to collect and receive loans. They recieve the loans and hold each other…

Snippets from India

I am seeing and experiencing so much that I’ve decided this evening, in Hyderabad, to jot down what I call “snippets from India”, basically some highs and lows and wonderings for me in the past couple of days. – arriving at the airport tonight from Bangalore to Hyderabad and stepping, without previously noticing, into a…

Another day in Bangalore, India

>Today was a very fun and interesting day, full off many mini movies in my mind and so much to write about that I’ll just pick a few. This morning Dave, myself, Vikas (lives her and works for Unitus here in Bangalore), Jayme (Unitus, Wa employee) Claire (unitus board member) and his wife, Nancy all…

Bangalore, India

There are so many people here in Bangalore:  walking, riding motorcycles, in buses, on ox carts, wandering around, on scooters, walking in and out of traffic, sounding their horns, trying to sell stuff. There is alot of poverty – slums  on the sides of the road, people living under off ramps, families living in broken…

Family, Canadian style

I’m Canadian. My parents are a mix of Canadian and Scottish and my in-laws are Canadian and Jamaican. It’s an interesting mix. I just got back from spending a week with both families, including my brother. He is kind of a stranger to me, even though we are siblings. He’s been through alot of health…