Combating the Saplings
Attending a Saturday morning tree-planting demonstration does not appeal to the masses. But it appealed to this arbor nerd. I enrolled with vigor, anxious to learn how to properly plant a maple in the...
View ArticleThe Zero Network
In hushed voices, a swath of national leaders orchestrated the Rwandan genocide. Labeling themselves the Zero Network, Rwandan powerbrokers crafted their “final solution” to reduce the number of...
View ArticlePangas into Plowshares
They were the instrument of the genocide. Where gas chambers and grenades keep killing at arm’s length—detached and swift—pangas did just the opposite. Coarse and weighty, these machetes inflicted...
View ArticleFreely Given, Apathetically Received
Timothy Kayera spoke with been-there-done-that confidence. He grew stronger with each word, pulling me closer with the fire of his conviction. And then he summarized everything I believe about charity....
View ArticleThe Weight Loss Challenge and Twisungane
Over the last month we’ve lost 141 pounds. Before the challenge began, we all understood how to lose weight. Eat healthy food, watch portion sizes, exercise regularly…we knew the drill. Still, we...
View ArticleTo a Better 2017
The weight of the world felt heavy in 2016. Wars expanded. Terrorist attacks made the news almost every day. Drug epidemics surged in many parts of our country. The election churned vitriol around our...
View ArticleThe Scandal of Calipers and Nursery Rhymes
Several times over the past few years, I have visited the Rwandan genocide memorial in Kigali. The first exhibit in the memorial displays an ominous image. At first glance, the picture is innocuous...
View ArticleThe Best of 2017
I began 2017 with a confession about 2016: I was a grump that year. And, I entered 2017 committed to being less consumed by the scandal du jour and more consumed by the people and places closest to me....
View ArticleCombating the Saplings
Attending a Saturday morning tree-planting demonstration does not appeal to the masses. But it appealed to this arbor nerd. I enrolled with vigor, anxious to learn how to properly plant a maple in the...
View ArticleFront Yard People in a Backyard World
Nestled amid tea fields in a valley outside Byumba, Rwanda, a group of 28 farmers, grocers, and tailors gathered in a small Anglican church. We heard the group before we saw them. They sang with gusto,...
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