Hosannah in the Highest Mar24

Hosannah in the High...

Hosannah is one our new friends that we greatly admire (true story). On the day we met, one of the first things we learned about her is that she killed a snake while out on her morning run, which made me want to sign up immediately to be on her team. Despite being lethal to snakes, to people...

The Lady Game Mar22

The Lady Game

For the first time in her life, S played a competitive game of five-on-five basketball. In Chiang Mai, Thailand. Go,...

Given Names Mar22

Given Names

The border between Thailand and Burma is just a few miles from this cafe table in Mae Sot, Thailand. Part of today’s discussion around that table was the explosive power of WORDS and NAMES. The folks in the photo are struggling with what to call the various ethnic groups along the...

Twilight Confessional Mar20

Twilight Confessiona...

Two men recently explained their life’s calling during separate conversations here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Khem described his birthplace among the country’s poor and persecuted ethnic minority, where his parents — both farmers — sacraficed a great deal to send him and...

A Thousand Turns Mar20

A Thousand Turns

On a bike ride this afternoon — up off my seat, slowly climbing an especially steep incline — I noticed a few motor bike treads that had been discarded down a hillside off the road. That’s what had come of a thousand turns for those worn-out treads: a trash heap in a quiet...

Birthday Love Mar15

Birthday Love

Big J turned 42 yesterday in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The boys planned a full day for him of running, eating, swimming, dancing, playing, and — special treat — napping.  We had Big Birthday Dinner with Mark and Melinda’s awesome family, stuffed ourselves with Lacy’s...

Under Armour Generosity Mar11

Under Armour Generos...

Largely because of our boys’ fascination with lacrosse and all the associated gear, they have developed an intense fondness for anything with an Under Armour logo. Truly, anything: stickers, shirts, shorts, socks, shoes, and on and on and on. You’ll recall that we were robbed last...

Faces Attentive To A Skyward Joy Mar10

Faces Attentive To A...

We’ve heard some precious stories about life with this precious threesome from our current hosts, M and Mel, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The children are M’s siblings … and the photo is over fifty years old. M grew up with his sister and brothers in an apartment above their...

Under the Arms Mar10

Under the Arms

This was the scene last night after a championship high school basketball game in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Tigers — our new team — had just defeated their rivals, the Eagles, in a nail-biter. (The son of our current hosts is a Tiger guard.) In the photo, the Tigers were just...

Tooth Update Mar08

Tooth Update

The results are in, and the winner is…..Malaysia, by about 48 hours. A Malaysian Ringgit, though worth only about 30 cents, comes as a beautiful, periwinkle blue paper bill with a delicate, transparent window and a tropical hibiscus. But H mainly sees a 3-ringgit pack of gum at the...

On the Shoulder Mar08

On the Shoulder

I’ve been trying to walk the boys through some Easter-related conversations during Lent. We sat down for yesterday’s conversation about MERCY in a perfect setting: each of us oceanside on a reclining chair, the late afternoon sun drooping towards the horizon, water from the...

Dose of Goof Mar06

Dose of Goof

At this late hour, a group of Japanese fellow tourists are swimming together in the darkness. A lot of laughing is coming from that direction. They may or may not be naked. So it is as we’re enjoying a healthy dose of goofy in our current location, a seaside resort off the western coast...

Orion, Due Straight Up Mar06

Orion, Due Straight ...

So I think it’s right that your view of the stars depends on where you are in our world. That would mean that the night sky in Virginia, say, is different than the night sky in Malaysia. If true, it would explain why Orion’s Belt is directly above us … when it’s...

Tooth Fairy Economics Mar05

Tooth Fairy Economic...

The tooth hangs by a thread, flicking back and forth almost as easily and mindlessly as breathing in and out. If you ask him why he doesn’t just pull it out, the answer is quick and firm: “NO. I DON’T WANT TO.” H is on the verge of losing his second tooth of the trip....

Coming, Going Mar02

Coming, Going

    One of our sons lost a particularly special memento today, a blue bracelet with home memories that he picked up just before we left the USA last summer. It’s been on his wrist ever since. I don’t want to treat his loss lightly. He is devastated. We realized it was...

Sweet, Dog, Spit Mar01

Sweet, Dog, Spit

My first friend was — is — Charles. An early memory: he and I are walking up a hill in our neighborhood, and we’re spitting every few steps. It was a cool habit we’d picked up very intentionally from another friend at elementary school named Scott. “Soon,”...