The End of the 20-Year Romance & New Beginning: San Diego, California

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
~ Gandhi

“The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”

- Abraham Lincoln

“The past is solid, the future is liquid.”
- J.L. Aubert

"All the world's a stage, and all the men & women, merely players,
they have their exits & entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts."
~Shakespeare, As You Like It

2002: The End Of The 20-Year Romance

"To understand a man, you must know his memories..."
~Anthony Quayle

And what do we remember of our 20 years romance with foreign service? Perhaps, it would take another 20 years to unravel the intricate designs that make up this all too-wonderful-all-too-exciting-all-too-satisfying work this world could offer. It is because foreign service is not just a job, it is a life.

Remnants of the memory glow & we see only the effects - what we have become all these years. It has fashioned us to become more resilient to life's ups & downs, helloes & goodbyes, beginnings & endings. This life teaches us to welcome all challenges with brave hearts & never with faint spirits.

Today, as the year nears its end, we remember not the agonies we experienced through the past months but the lessons they teach us. As we also look back at all the 20 beautiful years, we borrow these thoughts: "It was a time of such splendor - charming people, good food, laughter, and brave ideas - enough to entertain us for years." ~ Maya Angelou

2003 & Beyond: Definitely There's Life After The Romance

Someone says that "Memories are like corks left out of bottles. They swell. They no longer fit." True. Especially as we embark on our new journey this coming year & beyond, we see ourselves experiencing the exhiliration of freedom.

June 12, 2002 marks the conclusion of our government service. The preceding events clearly indicate that "one must be thrust out of a finished cycle in life, and that leap is the most difficult to make, when one would rather renew the faith & recreate the passion." ~Anais Nin

Enriched with our experiences, we are ready to embrace life's new challenges, as we open a new chapter in life. "Change can come anytime but transition comes along when one chapter of your life is over & another is waiting in the wings to make its embrace." ~William Bridges, Transitions

To old colleagues & old friends, we thank you for the memories. To new colleagues & new friends, we thank you for the dreams. To our dear Lord, family, & friends-for-life, we thank you for both the memories & the dreams...

Edwin, Beatrice, Tristan Duke & Bernard Josef