Hello, dear English-speaking reader! All content on this site is bilingual, but if you would prefer to receive articles in one language only, simply change your subscription settings. Happy reading!
-
The Village Morning
Sitting here at the kitchen table, I hear the shepherd who lives uphill start his dilapidated truck. It seems quieter this time. Perhaps he has repaired it since our last visit. Or maybe our closed windows muffle the rattle. But it’s a welcome sound. For this quiet mountain village sinks into a deep silence as…
-
Mamma Anna’s Menu
Everything I know about cooking I learned from my Italian mother-in-law! (Wouldn’t that be a great title?) Except it’s not true. 🤔 I already knew how to cook and didn’t need any lessons from Mamma Anna. But she did teach me about menu planning, albeit second-hand. And I learned a lot about cooking from living…
-
How to Help Immigrants and Refugees
As an immigrant myself this issue is close to my heart. I cannot fully identify with refugees or economic immigrants. I did not move out of personal need, but for ministry. I also have dual citizenship. But I understand moving to an foreign country. And we have also worked with refugees here. Even unofficially “adopting”…
-
Embracing Life’s Winter
I’m thankful that I no longer live in the land of always winter – that was my home state of Michigan. (At least that’s how it often seemed!) Always winter, but with Christmas! I much prefer southern Italy, where winters are mild and the rare snow melts quickly. Only in our distant mountains does it…
-
Travel Updates: Italy’s Rice Fields and Bobbio
We traveled about 1500 miles (2400 km) in Italy this summer without any mishaps. Only to end up falling and spraining my ankle and coming down with a cold at home! I think it’s healthier for me to keep traveling! But since I’m low on energy, I decided to make a fun post and give…
-
These Hard Times: Time to Reset?
At the risk of sounding like a doomsday prophet I’d say that difficult times are upon us and bound to get worse. Financial woes, unstable governments, pandemics, alarming Great Resets, crumbling values. There are also existential threats to health and the environment, according to experts. Indeed, on our summer treks people everyone everywhere spoke of…