#Resist

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

–Emma Lazarua Continue reading

Yesterday

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the places you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. – Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

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Leaving home – January 2016.

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ABC (and Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Realizing that Mike and I were more than a casual fling, his former roommate handed him a cup of coffee. Why? Coffee is for closers. A reference from Glengarry Glen Ross. Continue reading

The Hills Are Alive

By Chef Dad

I don’t think the Habsburg dynasty was the greatest dynasty, but I think it was the classiest.

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Cesky Krumlov in Pictures

When asked what country  has surprised us the most, my answer is without hesitation the Czech Republic. It was a place I knew little about, but now, will never forget. Continue reading

Four Letter Words and Other Takeaways

In our “hometown” of Czestochowa, Poland, all roads lead to the Jasna Góra (seriously no matter which road we found ourselves on, it appeared to lead back to the monastery). An extensive complex, the Jasna Góra is a shrine to the Virgin Mary and was built in the late 14th century. It is a place of pilgramage and a spiritual center. It is also home to the famed Black Madonna of Czestochowa, believed to have miraculous power.

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No matter your beliefs, this place is impressive. Our recent tour of the shrine with the friendly, humorous and knowledgeable Father Simon was a fitting end to this part of our journey – a journey that has brought us smiles, friends, laughter, challenges, sadness, tears, excitement, anger, knowledge, joy, peace, perhaps a few miracles, and above all together.

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