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A Beautiful Closure
There was a moment. Dawn. The birth of a new day. It was the eighth day of our return to Switzerland, and the first rays of sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, or “the Big Three,” as we like to call them. I arose early and walked outside at 6:15 AM to catch a glimpse of the sights and sounds I missed in my dreams and conscious thoughts since we moved back to the States. As I began to walk the narrow paths and streets of Mürren, Switzerland, I rediscovered that deep sense of awe that had struck me so many times before. The air, the…
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Turning the Big 4-0
They say that when you turn 40, you enter a new stage of life where you begin to see things more thoroughly—or, better put, as they are rather than as you want them to be. Ideology and theory become less of a focus, and the messiness of life becomes more of a comfortable norm. Maybe it is about being content within the “grey” areas of our lives, where we seem better suited to hold two opposing things together without discounting either. This has undoubtedly been the case for me as I reflect upon the immense beauty and suffering in my own life. Both of these are constantly present, but when…
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The Swiss Alps from Another Time
Every year during the last week of January, the Swiss village of Kandersteg transforms into a period around the turn of the century, 1884-1914. This week is known as the “Belle Epoque.” I have always secretly wanted to live during this time. The fashion, decorum, culture, and etiquette all come alive in the beautiful scenery of the Swiss Alps.
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Kandersteg, Switzerland
Today, I visited two places I have wanted to visit since moving to Switzerland: Kandersteg and Lake Oeschinensee. After about a 50-minute drive from our house, I arrived in Kandersteg and took the lift to the trails leading to Lake Oeschinensee. My family and I are very grateful to have experienced this adventure in Switzerland and to have seen some beautiful places. But this is near the top of my list. The combination of the majestic peaks of the Alps and the silent, serene landscape of snow and trees made this visit very spiritual. It took me out of myself and invited me into the paradox of the sheer beauty…
