Americans like to enjoy our freedoms. It's one of the things that sets us apart from the rest of the world. But what if it isn't so great? What if some of us feel like America is a game of dodge ball, and we are loosing? All these freedoms we love so much...providing allowances for … Continue reading Democrazy
This is the year I started substitute teaching. I hadn't participated in a public school classroom since 1997. That's 21 years. When I was a senior in high school, we took one class on typing on a computer keyboard attached with a cord to a large hard drive (yes, without looking), and another class on … Continue reading Have you been in a classroom lately?
I love back-to-school. Fresh pencils. Fresh notebooks. Fresh possibilities. I feel the same about a new year. In the US, it is the time we are encouraged to change things up. Cut things out that weren't working. Quit. Start. New plan. New schedule. We are encouraged to make new, better choices. Anything can happen. We … Continue reading back-to-school
Let's just get this out of the way: I don't think singing patriotic songs as part of a Christian worship service pleases God. We Americans have a hard time seeing it unless we've been outside the US context and watched the damage done by mixing the fallible US government, past actions, & current culture with … Continue reading But I’m still patriotic
America. I love you like the childhood home we return to as adults. Only to find she's smaller than we remember, and need a lot of repairs. After living overseas, I see that America is a box. A box I created because this is where I learned to follow the rules. Follow the rules to … Continue reading *shrug* America
Twice in the last 7 years I've consolidated all our belongings to a few suitcases. One time we were a family of four. The first time, we had a baby (and so much baby stuff). At one point we were living as a family out of 2 hotel rooms (no kitchen) for 70 days. Another … Continue reading What it’s like to downsize to a few suitcases
I'm fascinated by the idea of HOME. After moving more times than my age, I'm searching for its meaning and its location.
We left our home country two months ago. On the surface, we are adjusting well. Jobs, housing, and schooling are moving right along. We are part of a local church and have re-connected with family.To see our re-entry struggles, you have to go deeper. I think this is one of the reasons people say it … Continue reading Re-entry after 2 months
*This post is to answer a question we get asked often about what we still had in the USA while we lived in the Middle East. When we left the USA, six years ago, we sold everything. The cars, the furniture...all of it. Some of you reading have probably been the lucky recipients of at least … Continue reading What did you do with your stuff?
"One day, we will do the harder thing and move home." I said that for six years. The ironic thing is that "home" could be eight or nine different places for us. But when I said this, I meant moving to the United States. Confession: Life as a privileged minority in a booming economy is … Continue reading When moving “home” is the harder thing
