It was the most amazing coming out party. A small village outside Kampala, Uganda, full of women, celebrating the miraculous accomplishment of rising up from life crushing poverty to become homeowners and landowners. They started singing and dancing in the morning and the festivities did not stop until midnight. One of the most joyful sights I’ve ever seen. Thanks to BeadforLife, the people in the … Continue reading Beads, Bricks and a Better Life
I received a call this afternoon from a young man named Thomas Kramer from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. I could tell that he was very young. In a most tentative voice he said “Is this Ms. Collins?” I answered yes in the skeptical voice I use for phone solicitors. Then he told me the most amazing story. Turns out he is just 14 and was in Uganda … Continue reading Fallout from a Bombing
The cover of this week’s Time Magazine is incredibly powerful. I saw it at the airport and couldn’t get it out of my mind. A woman with her nose cut off by the Taliban as the poster child for the carnage and cruelty in that war torn land. Not sure if it posed a question or just an answer with its title: What Happens If … Continue reading The Woman on the Cover
Benchwarmers Tavern and Grill opened about a month ago in my Centennial, Colorado neighborhood then just yesterday the restaurant, which was an anchor of the retail complex at Arapahoe and Peoria, closed down. Apparently they stiffed all their employees as they shut the door. I heard about it on 9News. It’s all very puzzling but I wonder if something I witnessed might have been part … Continue reading Benchwarmers Bails
A fascinating story out of the UK. A Nigerian couple residing in Britain gives birth to white baby with an amazing head full of blonde hair. Ben and Angela Ihegboro are overwhelmed and overjoyed and are welcoming their newest child, Nmachi, whose name means “Beauty of God” with awe and love. The genetics of this are mindboggling but what a beautiful family. Great comment after … Continue reading Miracle Birth
I guess it was inevitable. Andy in “Toy Story” would grow up just like little Jackie Paper in “Puff, The Magic Dragon.” To this day I cry when I hear Peter, Paul and Mary sing the song so I wasn’t surprised that I got sentimental when I saw “Toy Story 3” last night. What I wasn’t prepared for was the complete welling of emotion. I … Continue reading Toy Story 3: A Mom Reflects
Just returned from a three week trip to Uganda where we did more video production for BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org.) The highlight was seeing women who were dying of poverty just three years ago celebrate paying off homes they saved for and built themselves. In a joyous ceremony BeadforLife presented 22 women with the titles to the land they sit on. The women paraded from home to home dancing and ululating, … Continue reading Out of Africa
My husband, Darrell, was beside himself. What’s up with this? We have a son about to enter the Denver Public Schools and here they are banning employees from travelling to Arizona because of opposition to the new immigration law. He was fuming. Don’t they have more important things to worry about (like higher graduation rates?) He even called KHOW’s Caplis and Silverman radio show to vent. I tried to rationalize the … Continue reading Denver Public Schools Takes a Stand
Eddie is one of my very closest friends. We have known each other since we were teenagers and knew of each other even longer. Our fathers were best friends and Polish immigrants who met in London following World War II and came to America on the Queen Mary together. When I lived in Connecticut and Eddie was in New York we hung out together every other weekend. We attended … Continue reading Kara’s Tea Party: Am I Missing Something Here?
A warm sunny day in April gets you in the mood for baseball. Dave Revsine’s New York Times article “Rhymes and Reasons For Father-Daughter Bonding” reflects on a shared passion for the game with his 8 year old Meredith. It took me back to days with my dad watching the Hawaii Islanders at the old Honolulu Stadium. My dad taught me to love America’s pastime and all its … Continue reading Baseball with Dad
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