Preparing For Goodbye

Dear Friends, I hope the sun was shining wherever this first Sunday in June found you. You already know my mantra: get out early, breathe, take in the delightful gifts of Nature and live a good day. Although I remind all of us to do those things, I sometimes forget to stop and smell the …

Abundance and Love

Dear Friends, My default setting when I first wake up in the morning is confidence that the world is an abundant and loving place and that my day will unfold in positive manner. I look out my window and breathe in fresh air. I gaze at the sky and marvel at the colors it presents. …

Carry-on Luggage or Excess Baggage?

Dear Friends, As I begin to write my message, I realize that much of the day has been consumed but I have been made aware that many of you wait to read my missives on Monday mornings! This fact actually makes me happy since I am hopeful that Sundays have become days of rest and …

Seizing the Day

Dear Friends, When we arrived to reside permanently in Costa Rica in 1999, one of the first things that struck me while driving around the Greater Metro Area's (GAM) districts of San Jose, Moravia and Guadalupe was the prevalence of businesses that began their names with "House". I had not paid them much attention on …

Returning to the World

Dear Friends, The strong winds are loud outside my window. It's deja vu to the start of the dry season that we are supposed to be transitioning from. The sunlight begins to warm me. As I ponder my thoughts on everything that is going on in the world right now, I feel like we have …

Embracing Cooperation

Dear Friends, As Lila and I made our way slowly down our road I was able to appreciate the early morning sights and sounds that make this neighborhood special. Is it possible that we are finishing another month? This is certainly an unusual time for most of us to be on the planet. Day after …

The Right Tool

Dear Friends, When I woke up this morning I spent a few minutes observing the luster on our laminate floor. Although it is a very temporary reality because the floor will soon show footprints from our daily activities, I find it particularly satisfying to take pride in the work I did yesterday to eliminate the dust …

An Objective and a First Step

Dear Friends, The sun was hot this morning when I took Lila out. The humid air was all around us reminding me of the unexpected gift several days ago when we had a short but intense rain that provided temporary relief from the heat. We gazed down the road. I could sense Lila wanted to …

Easter, Pesach and Renovation

Dear Friends, Today Easter Sunday is being celebrated. It is also around the middle of the Passover celebrations that commemorate the miracles experienced in the history of the Jewish people. It is a time of renewal, with a focus on spending time with family and friends eating together. Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate, make …

Week 14 Palm Sunday 2023

Dear Friends, I wake up to the sights and sounds of a typical Sunday morning in sunny Atenas. The birds engage in energetic work, competing with each other for the bits and pieces of construction material they discover all around the property. I spot the source of the mess on the porch: a clay-colored thrush …