Nguyen On Earth

  photo source   In need of good conversation, I picked up Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments that Matter, a book by Annie F. Downs .   A few hours later, I was finished. It's rare that I complete a book in one sitting. My soul must have really been craving truth, laughter and stories of perseverance, grace and Big Love.     This is the second time I've read Looking For Lovely but the words felt new. I've also met the author, Annie, since reading the first time. I can testify that the feeling you get when you read her book is also the same when you spend time with her. She is encouraging, inspiring and your friend.    In July 2017, I went to Nashville with my friend Laura for "That Sounds Fun" weekend presented by Annie F. Downs. It would be a few days of speakers, site seeing and of course, fun. In the program, Annie wrote, "my team has worked tirelessly to make sure that this weekend sticks in your memory and in your heart for a long t...

photo credit: Carolyn V. During the summer of 2018 in Mobile, Alabama, I was reunited with sailors who rescued my family after we escaped Vietnam in 1981. We were known as "boat people" and the U.S.S. John Young came to our rescue after we were attacked by pirates and left stranded. I wrote about the reunion here . One of the sailors I met in Mobile was Jim Rotert. Who knew that a year later, I would have the opportunity to visit Jim and his wife Amy in Southern Indiana. The reason for my visit was to speak at Jim's church, St. Paul Lutheran Church - Borchers at their annual Mission Festival. My friend Kim and I left Dallas on a Thursday and were supposed to fly into Louisville but didn't make the flight (we were flying stand by).  Instead of being anxious, I remembered what my friend Brian B. told me when we were preparing for a mission trip to Germany.  "Be fluid and flexible".  While delayed at the airport, Kim's sister (who worked ...