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
Conflict
Answering before listening is both stupid and rude
This nugget of wisdom comes from the book of Proverbs (18:13). In the same chapter you will find that "Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth." I can be both. Stupid and rude. And few other adjectives if you ask people who know me the best. My…Read more Answering before listening is both stupid and rude
Hello, Ukraine… finally
I keep a diary. Yesterday I read some of the things written down in last two years and countless times it mentions Ukraine. Ukraine has been and still is on my heart. I have friends from Ukraine, I like Ukrainian food, I visited Ukraine as a teenager with my family, I love Ukrainian sunshine and…Read more Hello, Ukraine… finally
My friends from Syria help me to be a better Latvian
Aleppo, gold, Riga, silver, amber - what do these have in common? My husband and I have dear friends who came to Latvia under most difficult circumstances. They are a wonderful family of four and their home used to be in Aleppo, Syria. It used to be a beautiful city before the war. Rich cultural…Read more My friends from Syria help me to be a better Latvian
Genie out of the bottle…
The summer in Latvia is beautiful but it is difficult to take my mind off the UK news. On June 23 Latvians celebrated the most popular holiday called Ligo when people enjoy the shortest nights of the year. Being in the nature with lots of good food, singing, dancing but mostly good time with friends…Read more Genie out of the bottle…
Should I hang out with “wrong Christians”?
"There are some people I would rather avoid and never interact with. I wish they would not speak in public or social media. I wish they would just be quiet and keep their thoughts to themselves. And I wish they did not broadcast themselves as "Christians" because I do not want to be associated with…Read more Should I hang out with “wrong Christians”?
It could be me, it could be you…
I want to talk about Ukraine in a very personal way and this story starts in Thailand... of all places. My former home in Chiang Mai was in a small and quiet neighborhood close to Chiang Mai University. There were not many foreigners living there. So, when a foreign family moved in, everyone took notice.…Read more It could be me, it could be you…
The barricades and my experience of nonviolent resistance
It is January and it is another cold one in Latvia I am not in Riga but I do know what a cold winter day or night feels like. And in 1991 it was a cold January. Still, most people in Latvia (including me) remember it with special warmth because it was also a time…Read more The barricades and my experience of nonviolent resistance
Tale as old as time: My tribe against yours
So, I was thinking about our tribalism in Europe and elsewhere and suddenly remembered one of my favorite children's stories, "Ronia the Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren. It is truly one of my favorite books and I have read it many times. I can still experience the same emotions I had when I read it…Read more Tale as old as time: My tribe against yours
Enough of Supersize Fear
If there is universal word and emotion in 2015, it is Fear. Phobia. Anxiety. Paranoia. This is nothing new for humankind even if we somehow think that the challenges are unique to our times and situation. Just study history, autobiographies, ancient literature like the Bible and see that people and nations have always struggled with…Read more Enough of Supersize Fear
peaceroads 