Marlys Johnson Lawry

It was Annie Dillard who said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Mick Black of Sisters, Oregon, is spending his life making a difference for the people in the Ngenge area of northern Uganda—as co-owner, CEO, importer, exporter, roaster, administrative assistant, and janitor of Kabum Coffee.

So how does owning a coffee company make a difference in the world?

Answer: When the business model is “entirely and wholeheartedly humanitarian-based” and any earnings, after expenses, go right back to the country.

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“Honey … we can do this!” I’d just read an article as a newlywed—back in the 70s—about Alaskan acreage being given to people who could build a home and settle on the land.

Homesteading. It sounded so romantic, so adventurous.

“So cold,” said my husband.

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When my husband Gary died of cancer, my kids encouraged me to take an early retirement. The plan was to temporarily move to my son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Denise’s place in Marina del Rey.

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Last week I was in Albany, Oregon with my daughter, Summer, who was house-hunting. We stopped into Margin Coffee in the old downtown area for hot beverages.

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Thirteen years ago, daughter Summer and son-in-law Josh packed up the grandkids and moved away from the Pacific Northwest.

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The floor is still swaying gently beneath me. I’m back on solid ground after a week-long cruise from Quebec to Boston. But the floor is still swaying.

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The question went out to girlfriends, daughters, sisters, nieces: What are your favorite things about autumn?

You might be surprised at some of the responses.

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I’m sitting in a park in Old Quebec surrounded by ancient buildings. Bells are ringing with abandon from all directions and a nearby fountain is whispering, “Breathe deeply, my friend.”

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On a recent road trip to Ferndale in northern California, I drove over the Cascade Range, through the redwoods, and then turned left at the Pacific Ocean.

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Stepping into a new season of life can be exciting and breath-taking and dream-engineering: Graduation. That job you’ve always wanted. A new love. Your first house. A much-anticipated baby.

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