The sunflower with the Ukrainian ribbon is in my kitchen since March 8. I came downtown Rīga to see if there was any need for volunteers at the Refugee Support Center and I ran into an acquaintance carrying what looked like a poster. I guessed that she was on her way to join the pro-Ukraine/anti-Russia…Read more They didn’t know we were seeds
Peacemaking
Think of the Ukrainians first
(Image credit: AP photo/Andriy Andriyenko) Pope Francis had called for Wednesday, January 26, to be a day of prayer for peace over Ukraine situation. (As always, "situation" means that something bad can turn into something much worse.) He said: "I make a heartfelt appeal to all people of goodwill to raise prayers to Almighty God…Read more Think of the Ukrainians first
2020 of blurred vision
Unbelievable but 2020 is "behind" us and the world sighs. We would like to sigh from relief but there is a present sense that the feeling of relief is still ways off. Yes, 2020 is finished sequentially as 'chronos' but not qualitatively as 'kairos'. If we think and speak of the critical or opportune moment…Read more 2020 of blurred vision
There and back : #FreedomWay for Belarus
Last Sunday, August 23, I went on a very special pilgrimage to Lithuania. Quite different from what some may expect when hearing this word, but the kind I find the most meaningful spiritually - for a special cause and on behalf of others. This time to show support for the ordinary people of Belarus who…Read more There and back : #FreedomWay for Belarus
Patience is another name for peace
It has been a very long pause... long pause in blogging, writing diary and social networking. I started February with a great determination to get back to regular schedule of weekly posts and then it happened. Someone very close to me was facing a difficult situation when unexpectedly becoming a primary caregiver to his newborn…Read more Patience is another name for peace
Crossings that change direction
"Some people cross your path and change your whole direction"... Looking at these words written on a wall in front me while sitting at the most popular coffee shop on my grandmother's street. (btw, this franchise is called Hedgehog-In-The-Fog in case you are looking for a cool place to hang out with friends in Rīga)…Read more Crossings that change direction
Wrestling with the antisemitism of the past and of the present
I have wanted to write this for a while but kept postponing... and tried to understand why?! One of the simple explanations is that it is extremely difficult to write about national shame, inhumane ideologies, ordinary people with extraordinary hatred or indifference. It is difficult to say something about all of this without too many…Read more Wrestling with the antisemitism of the past and of the present
Oregon diary: The art of sanctuary
I will admit the sign in the shop window first surprised me. I was entering a store for used books, looking at the posters and local advertisements and there it was. You could not miss it! "WE WELCOME... ALL RACES... ALL RELIGIONS... ALL COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN... ALL SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS... ALL GENDERS... WE STAND WITH YOU...…Read more Oregon diary: The art of sanctuary
Love and its more than fifty shades of green
May is a beautiful month but this one has been exceptional. In Latvia we experienced the sunniest and warmest May I can ever remember. Everything was blooming all at once. Lilacs, wild roses, chestnuts, rhododendrons, now jasmines ... like blooming season on steroids. Makes me want to scream, " Slow down! Save something for the…Read more Love and its more than fifty shades of green
Israel-Palestine conflict and my personal challenge
This one is hard. Not because I have nothing to say or because it is too complicated. No, it is because I am a Western Christian and also student of theology/religion. And there is no other international geopolitical issue which can divide Christians as sharply as the Israel-Palestine past, present and future. No matter how…Read more Israel-Palestine conflict and my personal challenge
peaceroads 