Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: gratitude

  • Peace Be Still

    Peace Be Still

    The words sound simple and joyful. Peace be still. It is peaceful here. The birds are singing. The sun is shining. I am sitting by a campfire and in the stillness of the morning, I am thinking of my beautiful aunts. They are all with the Lord. But today, they are also vivid in my…

  • Life is hard. God is good.

    Life is hard. God is good.

    The last few weeks have been difficult; not because there is anything wrong in my life, only because I feel unsettled. Call it a physiological response or existential angst. Maybe it is the summer blahs. Perhaps it is living in what I like to call “the age of anxiety.“ It doesn’t really matter what it…

  • Headed Home

    Headed Home

    I am driving home after a lengthy stay with my son. Leaving his house, I have very mixed emotions. I am feeling that (I am dropping you off for college, I don’t know when I will see you again, you are smart and capable but my life’s mission is to make sure you are okay)…

  • You Called

    You Called

    Last night, just as I was getting ready for bed, you called. I was tired and I had to get up really early this morning. I didn’t mention any of that, because you called. Since you have grown and flown, these moments of insight into your life are rarified. Yes, I could call you and…

  • Serenity

    Serenity

    Up at dawn, I sip my coffee in solitude and say a prayer of gratitude. It is peaceful. The birds are making the small chirping sounds that accompany a new day. My family thinks I’m a little crazy for getting up with the sun each day. But to me, it is serene. A time when…

  • Every Day Is A Good Day, Some Are Just Better Than Others: Travel Goals Portugal

    Every Day Is A Good Day, Some Are Just Better Than Others: Travel Goals Portugal

    Not every travel experience can be exceptional. In fact, if you are really open to new experiences you are bound to have some that are not to your liking. But as my friend Tom says, “every day is a good day, some are just better than others”. This expression sums up my travel philosophy. Try…

  • Cinderella in Wonderland: Travel Goals Portugal

    Cinderella in Wonderland: Travel Goals Portugal

    As a little girl, I read countless fairytales. Cinderella going to a ball in a carriage made from a pumpkin requires imagination. The carriages in the Museu dos Coches are beyond imagination. I walk around the fantastical creations in disbelief. Kings and queens used these rolling masterpieces to make a grand entrance. I don’t know…

  • When Your Train is Going Nowhere: Travel Goals Portugal

    When Your Train is Going Nowhere: Travel Goals Portugal

    We get up early and head to the train station for a trip to the seaside. I have maps on my phone and lists of things to do. We enter the Cais Sodre station and notice that the gates to the train platform are open. The trains aren’t running. A quick translation of the schedules…

  • Of Castles and Cathedrals: Travel Goals Portugal

    Of Castles and Cathedrals: Travel Goals Portugal

    Today we set out to find a castle. Castelo Sao Jorge casts a shadow over Lisbon. It is only a few blocks from our apartment (supposedly). Yet we have been in town for several days and have yet to see its walls except from afar. And in those instances it seems very, very far away.…

  • Invisible

    Invisible

    Blame it on the weather or perhaps the post Christmas Blues, but the last several days I have been melancholy. That is far from my usual optimistic self. I have felt invisible, tucked away in my quiet corner, left to do the many things that need to be done with no fanfare or hoopla. Melancholia…