Life Among The Pagodas
photo credit: John Shaw
Last August, Jim and I went hiking in eastern Washington, on a route through a stunning area called the Enchantment Lakes. (It is breathtaking—just take a look here.) Due to the popularity of this particular hiking route, you had to either obtain an overnight pass to hike the Enchantments over a three-day period (which means applying for the pass over 12 months in advance), or go for the gusto and hike the entire route in one day.… Continue Reading
31 July 2015
Dear little baby,
You’ve been in utero over 37 weeks now. Two nights ago, I started to experience some unusual muscle twinges, as if my body was going through a quick dress rehearsal—or perhaps a cold reading is more accurate, as it was so mild—for the upcoming task of ushering you into the world. I woke every hour for a few hours, feeling a bit unnerved and thinking, “I could wait a few more days; could we just wait at least till Saturday, maybe?… Continue Reading
In your first note to me, you asked, “have you slipped the surly bonds of America?” Which really meant, “tell me a story.” (I had no grand travel story to share, but I still replied courteously, since you were obviously a lonely missionary.)
Our first conversation topic was suffering. You told me of encountering tourists in Myanmar, one who frankly admitted, “I think that I’ve never looked into religion because I’ve never really had to go thru suffering in my life.”… Continue Reading
We thought we’d share some of Jim’s photos during his earlier years in the Golden Country. Enjoy!
Yangon, 2006
Fishing Village, May 2006. The rolls resting in the fishing boat are made of bamboo, and are likely going to be brought downriver to be sold in Sittwe.
Mrauk U, 2006. Women going home from filling up their water jugs at the local well. If the jugs are half filled, they are much harder to carry on one’s head, because they will splash around much more.… Continue Reading