travel| cactusflower

Celebrating Stars and Stripes: a flag for all seasons

Cactusflower

Apr 210 min

Celebrating Stars and Stripes: a flag for all seasons

",,,our ancestors fought to start this country, and then they fought to save it. That’s how important it is. Don’t ever forget that.”

The arc of the moral universe travels east from Selma to Montgomery

Cactusflower

Apr 8, 202310 min

The arc of the moral universe travels east from Selma to Montgomery

On July 26, 2020, a horse-drawn caisson carrying the flag-draped casket of the late Congressman John Lewis left Brown Chapel AME Church...

A Revelation: unexpected lessons from the Seven Churches of Asia

Cactusflower

Sep 18, 20226 min

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE APOSTLES

A Revelation: unexpected lessons from the Seven Churches of Asia

The Book of Revelation is perhaps known best for the Apocalypse, the “end times,” and destruction of the world. Even non-Christians know...

Separate Lifetimes: the hidden residents of Hackberry Creek

Cactusflower

May 4, 20226 min

FAMILY MATTERS

Separate Lifetimes: the hidden residents of Hackberry Creek

On the final morning of her life, Foxy’s nose was still in fine form. Though aged, drugged, weary, and suffering from several ailments,...

Juneteenth, Nobel bring together hearts and minds of leaders who care

Cactusflower

Nov 20, 20214 min

FASCINATING FACES

Juneteenth, Nobel bring together hearts and minds of leaders who care

Circumstances of birth and events that we experience as children often have a profound impact on the quality and focus of our lives. Some...

Southern Turkey boasts ancient civilizations around every corner

Cactusflower

Sep 13, 20214 min

Southern Turkey boasts ancient civilizations around every corner

Turkey’s Mediterranean shore, often called the Turquoise Coast, runs more than 900 miles, sprinkled with picturesque beaches and...

Hagia Sophia has become a Stranger in a Strange Land

Cactusflower

Aug 14, 20215 min

Hagia Sophia has become a Stranger in a Strange Land

In October 2020, I wrote the post “We could all use a little Holy Wisdom” about the Turkish government’s actions to convert the...

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Arora leads with humility from the heart

Cactusflower

Aug 7, 20213 min

FASCINATING FACES

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Arora leads with humility from the heart

Hackberry Creek in Irving, Texas, prides itself on its diversity, as well as its reputation as a community of achievers. Now, it can...

Captain Molly Corbin: America's first female veteran

Cactusflower

Mar 23, 20215 min

Captain Molly Corbin: America's first female veteran

Women’s History Month brings forth a great display of groundbreaking women from different times, all worthy of our admiration. Aviators...

Cactusflower

Feb 2, 20215 min

FAMILY MATTERS

Finding your family Bravehearts

Genealogy definitely was not a priority for me most of my life. My mother was from Illinois, my father from Ohio, and they ended up in...

Cactusflower

Nov 25, 20206 min

FAMILY MATTERS

Thanksgiving at home and away

Like most things in life, Thanksgiving is what you make of it. The mad rush by so many people to get home to family and friends this...

Cactusflower

Oct 6, 20208 min

FASCINATING PLACES

We can all use a little Holy Wisdom

Looking out from Gulhane Park on the grounds of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, our view was grand and truly fit for emperors, sultans,...

Cactusflower

Jan 17, 20205 min

FASCINATING PLACES

Hidden gems of Iznik

If you have ever spoken the words “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” you have a connection to Iznik, Turkey....

Georgia on my mind:
history, nature vie for attention

Cactusflower

Sep 8, 20193 min

FASCINATING PLACES

Georgia on my mind: history, nature vie for attention

Back in my early days as an Air Force officer, I was an “intercept controller” in what was then West Germany. We helped maintain radar...

Epic battles at Gallipoli and Troy: Achilles in the Trench

Cactusflower

Sep 4, 20196 min

FASCINATING PLACES

Epic battles at Gallipoli and Troy: Achilles in the Trench

The Gallipoli Campaign and the Trojan War. Two epic battles, forever connected by “Achilles in the Trench.”

For the cats of Istanbul, life isn't always the cat's meow

Cactusflower

Apr 22, 20195 min

FASCINATING PLACES

For the cats of Istanbul, life isn't always the cat's meow

I have written this blog post in my mind many time. Every time I see, feed, or pet an Istanbul street cat, I feel reinvigorated to tell...

CACTUS FLOWER

Sharing travels & reflections from around the world