life in the exchange zone
Some time ago, while on a plane to London, a recent college graduate sat next to me. Ella, we’ll call her, wondered about her future. She had a degree in nursing and was biding her time working in a nursing home. Clearly, she was restless and intently looking forward to the day when she would... Continue Reading →
Do you remember when you entered a swimming pool for the first time? Maybe it was tiptoeing in the shallow end of the pool. Maybe you were given some time to warm up to the water. Maybe you freaked out. Maybe you loved it. All along, though, there was that curiosity of what lied ahead... Continue Reading →
Some time ago, the video, “First World Problems Read By Third World People”, traveled across social media. Adults and children in Haiti read problems as viewed by those who live in first world countries. They say lines such as, “I hate it when my phone charger won’t reach my bed.” “My mint gum makes my... Continue Reading →
I’m mostly a Target shopper, however, I really needed an additional memory stick for my camera, and Wal-Mart’s price was noticeably cheaper. In my neighborhood, Target and Wal-Mart are across the street from each other. It doesn’t seem possible, but Hamline Ave is the divider between two very different and distinct worlds. As I was... Continue Reading →
In my childhood years, each Sunday morning church service would include an offertory prayer. Often, we would sing: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, And take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your... Continue Reading →
good goodbyes + happy hellos 