Anna with her buddy Skylar waiting to go into school. Today is Anna’s first day of kindergarten. I was a little teary (actually a lot teary) as I dropped her off. I had to hide in the hallway and brush the tears away so she wouldn’t see me. My friend Sasha saw me out there [...]

The first few people you meet in any place can have a dramatic and lasting impression on your overall experience there. Within our first few days, we met a couple, Bruce and Leigh, and their 6-year-old daughter Reese. Bruce was brought over to the islands by Wal-Mart, as a manager, to help establish new stores. [...]

Photo by Amber the MagnificentThe aroma of apple crisp was just beginning to fill our kitchen when the lights flickered, dimmed and went out. Anna and her two friends came running out from her room, saying “The lights are out.” Then I heard Fr. John in the hall. “Note to self,” he said, “Don’t try [...]

For several years we have been afflicted by a “phone curse.” Every phone connection we’ve ever had has been unstable and unpredictable. People call our home and our cells and get a variety of results, anything from the buzz of a fax machine (we don’t have one) to a busy signal (we do have call [...]

John’s Aunt Jan, placing a starfish in Sally’s graveA few weeks ago we traveled to New York for John’s grandmother Sally’s funeral. As John’s uncle David said at the funeral, we didn’t lose her the day she died, but we lost her in pieces–so many pieces–over the years, as the tide of Alzheimer’s washed over [...]