I awoke to a ding on my phone from a friend in Uganda wishing me a happy International Women’s Day. I thanked him for his well wishes, and promptly went to look up what International Women’s Day is. I found it originally began in New York, but after Russian women got the right to vote … Continue reading International Women’s Day
Aunt Betty
When I was a little girl, my Aunt Betty used to take us to the symphony. She is a music lover who wanted to pass her passion on to the next generation. She did that for my brother, sister, and me, since she never married or had children of her own. We were her charges, … Continue reading Aunt Betty
What About the Children?
My heart has pulled into its shell for protection, just like a turtle. In the wake of all the usual voices after a school shooting tragedy, it cannot handle the quagmire of clogged minds. It cannot handle the thoughts of children stopped from fulfilling their life dreams, or the images of teachers-turned-decoys with targets on … Continue reading What About the Children?
Dear MSDHS
Dear Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, You have made the list every school hopes to avoid…the school shooting list…the mass casualty list. The lock-down training you had, didn’t take into account a false fire alarm. The hide-and-go-seek plan didn’t work as well as you believed it would, because training cannot cover every possible scenario a … Continue reading Dear MSDHS
My Comfort Zone
I have been back from Uganda for 2 weeks. Back in my comfort zone. I have hot and cold running water just a few steps away at any given moment. My electricity works all the time. I have 3 types of ovens and a stovetop, as well as a refrigerator, which is full of food … Continue reading My Comfort Zone
As a Matter of Fact…
The story of how I got involved with a South Sudanese refugee camp in Uganda is an interesting one. I have been asked about it enough times I thought it might be a good idea to write it down. Sometime in the fall of last year, a question popped in my head demanding an answer. … Continue reading As a Matter of Fact…
February 2nd, 30 Years Ago (Guest Blog)
As told to me by Bill Gunnin This thirty year mark is a significant day. It is a monument that marks a day of before and after in your life. A day of reckoning so to speak. For you, it is a day of monumental shift where everything changed. For me, it is not that … Continue reading February 2nd, 30 Years Ago (Guest Blog)
Beginner’s Luck
I made some adjustments at half time. I studied my opponents. Every move was predictable. Then I realized, so were mine. Especially, being as green as I am. I changed my strategy to behave like a veteran traveler, and I went back into the game. Being intentional as a strategy was new to me. I … Continue reading Beginner’s Luck
The Story
The story that got me here, the one that actually got me on the plane to Uganda, wasn’t the fact that there were refugees or even the orphans of war, those exist in many places around the world. No, as compelling as those stories are, I would have been content to read about them from … Continue reading The Story
Exile Life
Our project leader Uche and Mickey, our communicator with the Office of the Prime Minister, have been orienting the team. This includes cultural awareness, as well as a history lesson. There have been hours of questions and answers about the situation in South Sudan and all the people have endured there. It was very informative, … Continue reading Exile Life
Michelle's Mosaic 