Most churches my dad pastored had wooden pews. Adults saw them simply as seats; especially spots where certain cushions meant, “Mine. Don’t sit here.” During my childhood I saw pews as many things. Just after they had been dusted with furniture polish they made amazing slides. When the “Mine. Don’t sit here” people were not …
The two other people in my little family are different than me, but before Covid19 I had fewer hours with them during the day to be reminded of this. We normally see each other after full days of work and school— sharing news, homework, household chores, and recreational time. But Covid19 has changed the …
Continue reading Hospitality at Home
I usually have a schedule for blog entries that involves serious editing, planning, etc. But for a little while now we have been practicing social distancing because of the Covid19 pandemic. Daily life looks different, so my posts will be different as well. Most everyone in our city is practicing social distancing. While it's not …
Continue reading Social Distancing in My Garden
Dear International Worker, To some degree, for better or worse, your plans will probably change. Your expectations for life and work in your host country during the time of your preparation versus actually being there will most likely look different than you thought. That’s okay. It’s common, actually. If plans change in the familiarity of …
Continue reading Dear International Worker, Plans Change.
Dear International Worker, You can leave. If you decide the host country you are serving in is no longer a place you want to be, it’s okay to go. Before I cause an ultra spiritual person to faint from shock, let me go into more detail. I am not suggesting you throw in the towel …
Continue reading You Can Leave
This past week I was privileged to have a conversation with the author of the TCK blog, settledwayfarer.news.blog https://settledwayfarer.news.blog/2019/03/14/mk-i-am-enough/ (article link) I can write from a parent's perspective on caring for my TCK, but I love to recommend resources that feature the writings of TCK's themselves. The author of settledwayfarer.news.blog is a brave, beautiful woman …
Continue reading TCK Blog Recommendation
Every single eye in the restaurant was on him as he returned to the table and his fried rice, but he was unaware of the rest of us silently entreating his wife— “are you going to tell him?” _____________ Our family’s Saturday in South Asia was going as usual. Around eleven o’clock we strolled to …
Continue reading The Restaurant Cat & the Tourists
A few months ago a little chihuahua who roams the neighborhood made her way under our gate. My family fell in love with having her around. Although she has a Thai name, we call her Tiny Dog. She’s brown and white, like milk spotted with gingerbread cookies. Tiny Dog’s ears are substantially larger than her …
Continue reading A Tiny Dog & A Tick Bite
I am excited to recommend a wonderful TCK resource to you! It will be available on Amazon in June. I attended a book release party this week for author and family therapist Ulrika Ernvik as she introduced her new book Third Culture Kids: A Gift to Care For. Here is more of the author's story from …
Continue reading Third Culture Kids: A Gift to Care For, Author & Family Therapist Ulrika Ernvik
