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Sharing travels & reflections from around the world
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Memorial Continental Hall: illuminating and honoring our Patriots
“Memorial Continental Hall is a backdrop, a living stage to illuminate our Revolutionary War ancestors and all they sacrificed for us."
Cactusflower
Mar 319 min read
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.”
Cactusflower
Apr 2, 202410 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Apr 8, 202310 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Sep 18, 20226 min read
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,...
Cactusflower
May 4, 20226 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Nov 20, 20214 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Sep 13, 20214 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Aug 14, 20215 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Aug 7, 20213 min read
Captain Molly Corbin: America's first female veteran
Captain Molly Corbin takes over the cannon after the death of her husband. (Photo courtesy Tracy H. Sugg) Women’s History Month brings...
Cactusflower
Mar 23, 20215 min read
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
Feb 2, 20215 min read
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
Nov 25, 20206 min read
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
Oct 6, 20208 min read
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....
Cactusflower
Jan 17, 20205 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Sep 8, 20193 min read
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.”
Cactusflower
Sep 4, 20196 min read
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...
Cactusflower
Apr 22, 20195 min read
Tulip Festival is a Turkish Delight
When you think of "tulip," what's the first thing that comes to mind? More than likely, your answer is Holland. You know. Holland with...
Cactusflower
Apr 10, 20194 min read
The Churches of Mardin, Turkey: it's what's inside that counts
After exploring early Biblical sites in and around Urfa (Sanliurfa) and hunter-gatherer wonders at Gobekle Tepe, we headed to Mardin,...
Cactusflower
Mar 21, 20196 min read
Stone Age sanctuary, Biblical sites are the amazing backdrop for Urfa
Like many people, as my husband and I approach retirement, travel is big on our radar. On a recent trip to Turkey, we decided to visit an...
Cactusflower
Mar 11, 20194 min read
Note: This is a work of fiction, based upon facts.
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Cactusflower
May 4, 20226 min read
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