August 3, 2025 A Symphony of Death My husband is a huge history buff, especially when it comes to World War II. He knows all the players, battles, aircraft, troop movements, and statistics like the back of his hand. For years, one of his bucket list dreams was to visit the Normandy Beaches — the very site of the D-Day invasion — to finally see the battlegrounds he’s long pictured in his mind and seen in countless movies and documentaries. While I share a curiosity about history, my interest is more tentative. I enjoy museums and stories, but sometimes, history gets too close for comfort. We’ve visited…
July 19, 2025 Culture Shock – Giving and Receiving After my recent trip abroad, I’ve been carrying around a persistent feeling. Our world in 2025 feels smaller and more connected than ever, much easier to navigate, a place where cultures mix freely and borders seem less rigid. This blending offers exciting chances for greater understanding —and it also brings moments that can be uncomfortable or challenging. How often do US citizens hear the label “Ugly Americans”? Our culture can sometimes clash with others, whether it’s our insistence on comforts like air conditioning and ice cubes, our assertiveness, or simply our limited foreign language skills. When we travel, we carry…
June 16, 2025 Love and Leadership: Leading with Empathy When we talk about leadership, we usually default to words like strategy, vision, execution, or results. What we don’t hear nearly enough—especially in business—is the word love. And yet, in my experience, the very best leaders don’t just manage people. They care about them. They listen, they notice, they show up. That’s love in action. And it’s the foundation of truly effective leadership. Now, I’m not talking about hearts-and-flowers, kumbaya love. I’m talking about the kind of leadership that sees people as human first and employees second. The kind that remembers birthdays, notices when someone’s off their game, and creates…