We moved into our house in Texas right after I retired. The house was 23 years old and had been rented out for the last seven. It would need a lot of work to make it our home. A contractor was highly recommended by our family, so we quickly agreed to let him do the […]

We are finally back home in Texas! Thank GOD, we made it to retirement and look forward to our “Sarap ng Buhay (zest of life)” with our family friends and loved ones. I realize this is a blessing many people never get, but it isn’t the way I had imagined it would be. After a

This hasn’t been a typical week. Our apartment looks like a sparsely furnished hotel room. Suitcases are slowly filling up with things we really need. Susan is giving away possessions that seemed so important only a few days ago. Upcoming events in Beijing don’t even draw our attention. Susan was treated to dinner by her

Last night we attended an acrobatic show at the Chaoyang Theater in Beijing. The hour-long variety show was like a circus, with beautiful costumes, thrilling acts of daring and amazing skills. The performers began their training as young as six and endure a lot of pain to gain the strength and skill they need to

A familiar face was in the news today. Not that I knew her personally, but I remember the intern who was murdered about the time I joined the Foreign Service. With my only daughter in college at the time I understood how devastating the loss must have been for the parents. The hopes and dreams