As you might guess from the title of this blog, I am a lifelong traveler. I spent thirty years in the Foreign Service, working in U.S. Embassies abroad and at the State Department in Washington. I moved every three years or so, considering myself a sort of professional vagabond. I had a different job at every posting and so have a bit of knowledge about a whole lot of things – a mile wide and an inch deep. My area of expertise is Latin America, which I studied in college and grad school, and where I spent most of my career. I was Ambassador to Panama for three years. I’ve been to 84 countries, all 50 US states (plus DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), and 6 Canadian provinces. I need to figure out how to get to French Guyana so I can complete South and Central America.
My spiritual side comes from having been a faithful Episcopalian for many years, including having been a senior executive of the church. I am a certified spiritual director, the process for which trained me to listen to the soul as well as to words. My Christian faith, and its emphasis on love, mercy, justice, and grace, is a constant for me. I treasure hearing about people’s spiritual journeys, whether or not they consider themselves religious or believers.
I live in beautiful Asheville, NC, with my very supportive husband. My two adult children and their families are always in my heart. I am blessed with friends near and far, and have two “girlfriend groups” that meet annually and sustain me always. I am a board member for a financial services company, a volunteer Spanish translator, a mountain dulcimer player, a voracious reader, and am always juggling too many projects.
Sojourner 