Queen Esther and the Power of Unlikely Relationships

Do you know the story of Queen Esther? Esther is a book of the Bible that reads like a novel. It’s got heroes and villains, romance, intrigue, drama, you name it. In fact, it’s such an important story that its events are celebrated to this day by the Jewish holiday, Purim.  During a recent read...

After the Storm

This was the second time I had been part of a relief mission after a storm. The first was over half a lifetime ago. I had just finished my junior year of high school and received an invitation to participate in some cleanup and restoration work in the southern tip of Florida.  There, a community...

Survival Mode

I wasn’t feeling well, not like the kind of “under the weather” that a cup of tea and rest would remedy... more like, I’m not sure I can talk or get out of bed sort of sick. But life wasn’t stopping and I had responsibilities—so I decided to push through. Feeling determined, I left for...

Waiting to Be Developed

I was in my late twenties when I was exposed to the idea of greenfield and brownfield development. Never having formal training on urban planning or economic development, it took me some time to understand what was involved.  Simply put, greenfields include undeveloped land (in a city or rural area) that has never been built...

More Than A Place to Lay My Head

A couple weeks ago I spent some time in Portland. I had heard and read about the accelerating state of homelessness in Seattle, Portland & other West Coast cities, but this is the first time that I had seen it at this level with my own eyes. I am embarrassed to say that in the...

Give Some Grace

I worked from the coffee shop today. I am an extrovert. My energy from being around people. This is usually great for my line of work, unless I have a bunch of projects to complete and my need to connect with people becomes a distraction. Write... research… emails… or people… I pick people every time....

Lessons on Sweet Potato Fries and Airplanes

Have you ever tried to put 30 pounds of apples into a ten pound bag? I often live under the illusion that I can fit just one more minor task in my day, a practice that works for me most of the time. Such was the case when I recently landed in Tampa, Florida and discovered...

There’s No Place Like Home

We moved. For the last few years my husband and I have been working on a master plan to sell our house and relocate to an urban neighborhood. A neighborhood that is on the cusp of the poorest part of our city. Intentionally moving from a house less than a mile from our local country...

Get Back Up

  “I'd like a do-over for 2018,” my husband says to me in his new raspy voice.  It was Groundhog Day and we'd barely made it off the starting block for the year. His comment caused me to pause. I guess things had been a little bumpy lately.  In fact, we had not until then...