Frankly Speaking

Bonnie and I paused for a photo with Robert and Na Tigie Jawara when we visited their home in Kabala, Sierra Leone in December, 2013. Their granddaughter Tigos, who has just turned six, is with them. Students at Kabala Christian School enjoy the shade under a giant mango tree on their school grounds in Kabala, Sierra Leone. Update: The Jawara's three children who live outside Sierra Leone (two attend university in The Gambia, and one is working in South Korea) are now on their way back home for their mother's funeral, which will take place Sunday. Na Tigie's death has had a huge impact on many people there, as she was well-known in so many circles and well-loved by many. Just under three years ago, my wife Bonnie and I had the privilege of travelling to Sierra Leone and Ghana in West Africa. Our daughter Christina (Chrissy) first went to Sierra Leone in 2008, when she was in Grade 12 at Fraser Valley Christian high school in Surrey. She spent most of he...

Frank Bucholtz photo B.C.'s Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley area is one of the most beautiful and blessed areas in the entire world, in my humble and far from objective opinion. This photo of the Golden Ears mountains, covered in fresh snow, was taken Dec. 29.   A happy new year to everyone. Thanks for checking out my blog posts, if only occasionally. I appreciate the support and feedback. I've posted 57 times this year, with almost all of them coming after retiring from The Langley Times as editor on June 30. I wanted to keep an oar in the water, and like almost all writers, I'm happiest when putting something together. Blogging offers the previously unparalleled opportunity to put your thoughts together and post the completed item online for anyone to see. You then find out, in a very specific way, if what you write and think about strikes any chords with people. Most of the subjects I've posted on are quite local in nature. That's my area of experti...