I didn’t take pictures once we officially entered the slum. I could barely step one foot in front of the other. I volunteered in the slums of Salvador, Brazil, for 13 weeks after college. The favelas, as they were called, ran out of space for dwelling so inhabitants started building “homes” on stilts in the water (called palafitas). I visited the tiny rural village in Talanga, Honduras, where my brother Tyler volunteered for a year. …
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” – John Lennon “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not …
India has always been a country of intrigue for me. It’s one of my favorite cuisines (I seek it out whenever I travel to big cities) and it’s the birthplace of yoga, a critical part of my physical and spiritual life. It’s one of my bucket list destinations. But with at least a 25-hour flight and two little boys at home, I haven’t imagined it in my near future. Life has a way of making …
I don’t care what religion you are; I care how kind you are to others. I don’t care how much money you have; I care how generous you are with what you’ve got. I don’t care how many friends you have; I care that you will stand up for them when others put them down. I don’t care how many likes you have on the posts you share; I care how many times you’ve shared …
I’ve been weaning Kyen from nursing, and was prepared for this morning’s nursing to be the last one. But tonight as I read Mav a goodnight story, I hear Kyen crying from his room though he is supposed to be asleep. It’s a soft cry, not like his blood-curdling scream that he’s known for. It lands square in the center of my heart. I interpret his cry to be an asking for special time with …