Our Ugandan home

‘A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.’ This is what it says, the cup I’m drinking my herbal […]

Faithful Reader will recall that My Bride is a movie star. You can read all about that here at www.thomasfroese.com/my-wife-the-movie-star/ At that time, I mentioned the clunky lights and big cameras and probing questions that were brought into our Canadian home one summer day, all so that I could also talk about my own story: how I was […]

Liz just wrote her first award-winning story. It’s called ‘Mr. Carrot’s Exciting Day.’ The award was a cookbook given by her Year 5 (that’s Grade 4 in Canada) teacher. And so Liz has been in the kitchen quite a bit these days, with her apron and smile and mango smoothies and other big rockin’ plans […]

 I should mention that before one embarks on something as foolish and dangerous as parenthood, you should get some training. One way to do this is to go to your local big-box bookstore, read everything you can get your hands on about being a great parent and then do the exact opposite. This is why my next […]

The birds have hatched. I saw them during my morning elliptical routine in the music room. At first, the nest that’s just outside the room’s window seemed both empty and rundown, like Ma hadn’t made the bed for a couple of days. I thought she was gone for good to find a more suitable birthing […]

In light of numerous thefts from our place in recent weeks, the pressure has been on for us to get a dog. Instead, I got a bird. This, as Faithful Reader knows, is in addition to the cat, that is THE CAT – the playboy cat who, by the way has been seen only once […]

We should never question the truth of what we fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders. I’ve heard this. And I, with many others, very much believe this. But the truth of death still seems so much louder, so much more distinct, so much more undeniable than the wonder of what even those […]

Speaking about the nature of God, my students will forgive me for inviting you into a recent class. And so will Jon. My class consists of a small number of Americans who meet in my Ugandan living room once a week to learn what they can about creative writing. They get their formal credit from […]

The photo, which had been shot for our engagement, has been on the wall of one home office or another: first the one in Yemen, and for some  years now, our work space here in Uganda. My Bride and I are on the shore Lake Erie, just outside of St. Thomas where, in another life, I was […]

(Cont’d from yesterday) … So after spending the night at the precinct, the girls’ families were found and informed of their mischief. We thought this was more or less the end of it, until the one, Gloria, the little Ugandan girl who had previously just about tripped while running away with the stolen clothing falling […]

So 12.12.12. came and went and the world didn’t end. No, the planet didn’t blow up, give up, or pack up its things and say, That’s All Folks! In Africa, our evening included our annual community carol sing. Liz sang Silent Night solo, Jon handed out candles when he wasn’t playing with the light, and […]

All the puppies that in our care are now gone to the gardener, Paul, to find good homes for them. The decision was hastened when our cat ate a gecko lizard in protest of all the attention the pups were getting. I don’t have to tell you how much power the cat wields in this […]

So it’s 1:30 in the morning and I’m outside in my underwear up on the roof of the garage, then up on the hill by our outdoor watertank, flashlight in hand, looking for something, for I’m not sure what. I’ve heard something, some kind of animals yelping helplessly out here somewhere. Thought some animal was […]

It’s after the ceremony today and the bride and groom are at my place because they like what we’ve done with the stonework and flowers and all. They’re having photos taken when the groom, a long-time Ugandan journalist friend, asks if I’ll give a speech at the reception. It’s in two hours. When the moment […]

So my wandering cat is back, and while I’m relieved, there’s little doubt at this point that he’s playing with me, toying with the situation, making me go more crazy while I lay in my bed alone all these nights and wonder if I will somehow lose the children before morning. But I am not […]