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November in the Adoption Blog: Month in Review

I began the blog on All Saints Day with a tribute to certain “Saints” in U.S. Adoption and Pioneers in International Adoption. Then I wrote a tribute to the founder of my daughter’s Korean adoption agency, who has lived an exciting and multifaceted life and is remarkable for his humble concern for children. In honor of National Adoption Month, I wrote two blogs on Top Ten Myths about Adoption. For Part One, click here. For Part Two, click here. Then I wrote a blog about events on National Adoption Day, Saturday November 17. These events included finalizations of thousands of … Continue reading →

Another Hero in Adoption

My last blogs have written of some heroes of U.S. and international adoption. Now I’m going to tell you of a hero whom I have actually met. I’ve spoken before on how awed I was by the commitment, community and faith shown by the staff and foster mothers of Eastern Child Welfare Services in Korea. Eastern’s founder, Dr. Kim Duk-Whang, is one of my heroes. Born in what is now North Korea during Japan’s 35-year occupation of Korea, he was studying in China when World War II broke out. He later escaped to North Korea, only to see that become … Continue reading →

Celebrity Updates: Ledger, Chapman, and Aiken

HEATH LEDGER Still no word on the claims made by uncles of the late Heath Ledger as to whether the movie star fathered a love child. And we probably will never know how much Ledger’s daughter Matilda gained financially when her young father’s will was honored. But what we do know now is what some Aussie’s are doing to keep Ledger’s legacy alive. Australians in Film just announced that it has established a scholarship in the late actor’s name to help wannabe Australian movie stars follow in their idol’s footsteps. According to organizers, the scholarship fund will be presented each … Continue reading →

Getting My Mind Right

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On May 24, 2006, I weighed 272 pounds at my doctor’s office. That was an all time high for me. I have had to fight my weight for the last forty years, I am sixty years old. When I was younger, 235 was a high weight and 185 was an ideal weight. I was six feet tall, or slightly under, depending on who measured me. Today, I have been whittled down by the years and I stand at 5’10. I do have a large frame. My weight that day really scared me for several related reasons. I was less than … Continue reading →

May I See Your Passport Please

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The rules for leaving and entering this country will become stricter for many travelers in a few days. In the past, most United States citizens did not need a passport to leave and enter many Caribbean nations, as well as Mexico and Canada. If you plan to travel to those destinations by air, you will need a passport. You can find out how to get a new one or renew one that has expired by typing “passport” into any search engine. Before I retired, I traveled to many international destinations. I have seen travelers make really stupid mistakes with their … Continue reading →

Trying to Cope With Jet Lag

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In a previous blog, I talked about my experience learning to cope with jet lag on transatlantic flights. I want to share some stories with you that demonstrate some of the problems that jet lag can cause. For some time, I flew from Houston to London and back twice a month. On one of my trips, I woke up on the plane as it was landing at London Gatwick airport marveling at how good I felt. I remembered thinking that I had finally conquered the cobwebs that seemed to invade my brain when I took this trip. I took the … Continue reading →

Fitness Swimming For Beginners

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In a previous article, I wrote about my recent experience using swimming workouts to lose weight and get in shape. All you need to get started is a suitable pool to swim laps (25 yard pool recommended) and the determination to make something happen. I started out by getting in good enough shape to walk two or three miles briskly six days a week. When I could comfortably do that, I was in good enough shape to swim. I found that I was able to swim over and back, rest a couple of minutes, and do it again. In my … Continue reading →

Jumped by Pickpockets

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Everyone traveled all over the world in my office. Three of my colleagues had told me of incidents they had experienced with pickpockets in Paris. I was in Paris at least once a month and I was careful, or at least I thought I was. During this time, my wife, two of our grown children, and I flew to Paris from Houston. In those days, we had a lot of frequent flyer miles. We arrived early in the day and checked into our hotel. We immediately set out to see the sights. We were walking in a tunnel between two … Continue reading →