I recently posted in my Instagram stories a quote negating the fallacious and cliché statement we have all heard from well-wishers when experiencing trials: God will never give you more than you can handle. It sounds good. It sounds comforting. It soothes the ego. Grants a little leverage against the mighty God of Heaven whose…
Overdue.
I'm on my third cup of tea already. First chai. Then Earl Grey. Now Ceylon Alwazateen. It's just one of those days. Delightfully dreary and slow, painfully sad and full of introspection. The neighbor girl is here, pulling out every toy possible and whipping up a general hurricane. I don't even care. Her mom abandoned…
Courage
Zucchini bread is baking in the oven (only because it rained this morning and it's not 90 degrees inside the house) and chai is steaming out of a china cup. And I'm writing. Perhaps the quintessential afternoon for any quiet homebody. But outside, the world feels so violent and hostile. So virulent, capricious, volatile. More…
Yesterday
It was only yesterday you let go of my index finger and toddled across the second story veranda of the Colegio Evangélico Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, just outside the apartment of your great-great-grandpa Saword. A block from the beach, the salty breeze tangled your already curly hair into a golden mess of delight. It was only…
#100
It feels appropriate that the 100th post on this blog should be the one before us: news and philosophical rabbit holes. But first, let's celebrate. 100. It's taken me a few years to get here (my very first post here was in 2019) which makes it even sweeter. Thank you to each of you who…
Come Along for the Ride
We’re in traffic somewhere in Veracruz. The sugar cane fields are being cut, burned and replanted. Van claims it’s 47 C outside. I believe it. It’s pretty toasty in here. According to X, a semi burst into flames a few kilometers up ahead so the highway is down to one lane. It’s a 12 hour…
Granma, Cuba
This post is not my story to tell. I am, instead, a privileged bystander and would like to invite you to join me here on the sidewalk. Nestled against the Sierra Maestra, the province Granma is a 16 hour bus ride away from Havana. Its forested peaks roll 2,000 meters above sea level for over…
On the Bookstand
Back in October, I did a Favorites post which turned out to basically just be a booklist. So, for the time being, I'm giving up trying to find favorites (my life is super boring and literally whatever my favorites were 6 months ago are the still the same ones today), and instead I'll give you…
Chiapa de Corzo
It begins as perhaps millions of family stories begins. A young man and a young woman up in the hills in Chiapas fell in love and were married. He worked in the fields, planting corn season after season. Every couple years a new baby. And every week the same dilema: “And the money you made…
Hymn List
Hello to everybody in 2024! How humbling that God is giving us another year to honor and glorify Him, to devote ourselves: body, soul and spirit to His good pleasure. As I did last year, I'm sharing the list of hymns we sang as a family throughout 2023. There are fewer hymns than weeks in the…
penelope alves 