While I lived in the Orlando area, I lived next door to two of the most gentle souls I’ve ever known. He was from the Philippines. She was from Japan. Most of our conversations involved lots of smiles and head bobbing. I took this photo from the front seat of my car one afternoon after I had loaded up boxes to move. I love the way Abe and the statue are facing each other, placed right beneath the American flag. This picture is on the wall in my living room; I love it that much. His parting gift to me was a papaya, and he explained to me how to plant the seeds to grow my own fruit. I haven’t picked the right place yet for my trees.

I knew this dog and I had a special connection! My grandmother was at my house one Saturday night and wanted to watch something, so we popped in some Dharma & Greg episodes I had on DVD. Winnipeg ran over to the t.v. and sat there watching the episodes from start to finish. I think she was a bit more entertaining than the sitcom.