In Grandma’s Kitchen

In Grandma’s Kitchen

She was hunched over at the shoulders, shuffling about in her tiny kitchen, wearing pink satin slippers and a soft cotton housedress with small yellow flowers printed on it. Piece by piece, she tore the stale corn tortillas into strips and dropped them into the...
Polar Nights and Northern Lights of Tromsø

Polar Nights and Northern Lights of Tromsø

Since I was a child listening to my mother’s stories about the boats that would weave their way through the fjords to bring letters and necessary goods to little towns and villages up north where Santa lived, I have wanted to visit northern Norway. This Christmas, I did.

My Favorite Cinnamon Buns

My Favorite Cinnamon Buns

We are in Norway for the holidays, my mother’s homeland. While you rarely see them with frosting as you do in the States, Norwegians take cinnamon buns seriously. They are everywhere, with their deliciously hard-to-resist aroma wafting out of coffee shops and...
Meditation in Snow and Silence

Meditation in Snow and Silence

On this bitterly cold day across most of the United States, I come to you from Bergen, Norway, where I am spending the Christmas holiday with family.

One Christmas while in the Colorado mountains, I was overwhelmed by the season – too much emphasis on buying the next big thing for gifts, frantically shopping, cooking, sending out cards, and ensuring everything was perfect. I took a walk in the woods to clear my head and breathe. I thought I’d reshare this post I wrote when I emerged from that walk.