Mercy comes from a compassionate heart.  Henri Nouwen Three years ago, on August 3, my mama’s compassionate heart stopped beating. And still, it is impossible for the world to contain the mercy she embodied and dispensed. If she were alive, she would scoff at this. She’d see it as an undeserved compliment, and shake her […]

This time of year in Northern California, the sun comes up early and graces us with light till late evening. Today, as I headed out for an early morning walk, the sun had long risen, its soft rays peeking through the myriad leaves of trees–who knew green had so many variations?! My day was just […]

Some dates are embedded in our memory, sharp and crisp, while others catch us unawares. This morning, the signs were there ~ an uneasy night’s sleep, the daffodils with their sunny faces catching the early February sun, my morning devotions with the reminder that today is the death date of Martin Luther, who died in […]

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… OK, I WISH, all my bags were packed and I was ready to go. Sunday, 18 September 2016 Awaking at 4:30 on a Sunday morning and try as I might, unable to go back to sleep. My mind on alert and captive to the to-do list […]

This story begins with this photo taken in 2006. It was a hot day and we traveled far to visit this family. If you look closely at the photo you can see the despair etched on faces.  A mama and a daughter-in-law whose lives are forever changed as HIV/AIDS claimed the lives of mama’s ten […]

All the beauty of this world is wet with the dew of tears.                                                                         Theodor Haecker She folds into me like a small child and rests her head on my chest. So tiny and frail she seems now. So childlike and innocent. I hug her, tight, once more and turn to climb into the passenger seat […]

2008, Lorna, Pamela and Sally.  Kibera On my second trip to Kenya in 2008, I landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. After making my way through the usual immigration control and customs, I headed out to the semi-circle of people awaiting arrivals.  Scanning the crowd, I spotted the familiar face of Kenyan […]

Proud owners of water filters! Mama Caren and Pamela Love and Always Mercy, Pamela

Mother’s Day 2024 The quiet of early mornings will find me sitting in my study overlooking a portion of my backyard, now painted in springtime green. Often I’m accompanied by the faint rumble of traffic, the familiar sound of the washing machine down the hall, and always, a cup of strong coffee with milk by […]

Before I left for Kenya, I was conversing with a friend about homesickness– that awful, sick, anxious feeling that comes into our bodies and hearts when we miss home and all that is familiar and knowable.  We long for something or someone to soothe us.  Perhaps we first experience homesickness when we leave home for […]