I don’t know what it is, but everywhere I go lately I seem to find on my path some touching if not life-changing encounter. And last night ws no was no exception. Early yesterday morning I flew from France to England to get the house ready and meet my husband when he comes home from sea. After I did my errands and did a bit of work on the computer, just before sunset I decided to go out for a walk. With the beach being about two blocks from our house, I headed down...
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This afternoon, I went with a friend to a meeting in the city. We arrived at the church where the meeting was supposed to take place. The gate was locked and no one was there. There was a man standing outside that gate too, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a battered straw hat. He had a suitcase with him, and a gorgeous Saint Bernard puppy panted at his feet. He began talking to us, confused as to why the building was closed, which we were too but for different reasons. He was...
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I’m in bed, unable to sleep. Maybe I’m still jet-lagged after 10 weeks in the States, but there’ve been a few sleepless nights in the last two weeks. I’ve noticed something on a couple of these nights, like tonight: I find myself thinking about dying. It’s not that I want to die, nor am thinking about killing myself. I am simply thinking about what it would be like to not wake up tomorrow. Today I spent 67 minutes on the phone, calling people I know who I feel...
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Yesterday morning I stopped into Camden Food Co at London’s Victoria Station to buy a piece of fruit. Yes, they had only bananas, which was what I wanted anyway. The offer was one for 60p or two for 99p. I only wanted one. So I gave her 60p and took my breakfast. As I was standing at the entrance eating, a young man in a hoodie approached me asking if I had “a spare 50p.” I looked into his yearning eyes and said yes. I dug out the change I had kept, added...
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Less than a week ago, I arrived at Houston Intercontinental Airport on my way back to Europe after 10 weeks in the US, with three pieces of very heavy (142 pounds worth) luggage. I have thought of that moment many times since. And I want to share it with you now. At the car rental station, as I boarded the bus to the airport terminal, the bus driver took my bags and placed them on the bus for me. I was grateful; not all the drivers do this. When we arrived at the terminal...
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I’ve just come home from a walk down the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. It is the runway for fashion and talent, as tourists and locals express themselves to each other and hope to be noticed. I had been trying on sports clothes in my favorite store, but the music was so loud, I couldn’t take it. I left without a bag. I gave a couple of bucks to a woman singing ‘proud woman’ songs while moving about in her wheelchair. She touched...
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