I’ve been blessed to see a thousand sights that many only dream of

Dunluce Castle, coast of Northern Ireland

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” So says Mark Twain, and as usual I believe Sam has it right. Through the years, I’ve been blessed to travel a bit across this pale blue orb. I was born and raised in historic old Hangtown, known as Placerville, California, and raised my family in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. I’ve visited castles in Ireland and Scotland, hoisted a pint of Guinness in Belfast, and enjoyed steaming coffee from the porch of Green Gables on windswept Prince Edward Island. I’ve been piped ashore by bagpipes on the docks of Halifax, Nova Scotia, sailed down the Saint Lawrence to Quebec, and broke out in Goosebumps while swimming in the cobalt blue waters of Lake Tahoe. I’ve explored the Yucatan, marveling at the crystal clarity of Xel-ha Lagoon and the ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum, and I’ve found inspiration on the coast of Maine, as seen from the picturesque summit of Mt. Desert Island.  I’ve traveled Canada by rail, sipping wine and relaxing as spectacular fall foliage sped by my window, and I’ve ridden a crowded bus the full length of Jamaica, and lounged on the beach at Saint Thomas in the sundrenched Virgin Islands.  I’ve been blessed to see a thousand sights that many only dream of, but this world’s greatest wonder is its people.  May God bless us, each and every one, with humility and hope; Lord knows we need it.  SC