Two years ago, I attended a Rotary Club meeting where the guest speaker recounted his trip to the Holy Land.

Little did I know, I would be visiting the same area two years later.

TRIP OF A LIFETIME

For 12 days, my mother, brother and I visited some of Christendom's holiest sites. Exploring Israel — namely Tabgha, Tiberius, Cana, Capernaum and Jerusalem — and Bethlehem offered reflection, relaxation and exercise. (You can only reach many places by foot.)  

Staying at a hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee and splashing around in the same water where Jesus spent most his ministry; visiting the city where he performed his first public miracle, according to scriptures; walking the Via Dolorosa; and visiting traditionally accepted sites of his birth and crucifixion were surreal experiences.

And we met friendly, brilliant people at these places. In Tiberius, my mother chatted up a Jewish man who was well traveled, having visited Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Berlin, Germany, among other places.

Mom just said, "United States," when he asked where she's from. With no other hint, he said, "Alabama?"

We were amazed.

Honestly, I can't keep up with how many friendly strangers we encountered.

But like with anything, there were downsides, too, and they inspired me to share this lesson: Regardless of what you think about Crestview (whether it's the traffic or the need for more businesses — I hear the same comments every day on our social media channels), it could be a lot worse.

COMPARE & CONTRAST

Here's the takeaway from visiting the Holy Land (and why, at around the 10-day mark, I told my family, "I can't wait to get back to Crestview").

•Over all, it's safe. The Tabgha hotel my family stayed at the first week, the one with the stunning view of the Sea of Galilee, was some 20 miles from Syria.

Just on the other side of those mountains lay human rights abuses at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The group is known for its public executions and crucifixions, and forcing women into sex slavery.

This was my big wake-up call. I thought back to watching TV at the Philadelphia International Airport, just before boarding our flight to Tel Aviv, when there was a 15-minute CNN report on "fangate." (You know, former Gov. Charlie Crist (D)'s use of an electric fan, and Gov. Rick Scott (R)'s refusal to debate him because of it.)

"THIS is news?" I'm thinking, while considering the territory I'm about to enter, and how I won't even say what I do for a living in that area. 

•We're not prisoners. Imagine having to park your car on a very littered dirt lawn and then walk a block to border patrol, where you pass through inspection points with armed guards to get to Baker.

That's the case for Jerusalem residents who want to shop or visit their next-door neighbor, Bethlehem. The Israeli West Bank Barrier separates Israel from Palestine, and the division is more than physical. A Bethlehem man I spoke with said he felt trapped like an animal.

Israel built the wall to prevent Palestinian terrorism, and crossing the wall is possible, but how often would you visit Baker if there were so much red tape?

•Soliciting isn't an issue. Our week in Galilee was peaceful, but our week in Jerusalem was filled with the most aggressive sales tactics I've seen — borderline harassment.

In Bethlehem, a man followed us for hours trying to get us to shop at his sister's souvenir store or to accept a ride in his personal car. (I politely brushed him off at every turn, so he targeted Mom, even calling her "Mom" to build rapport — oh, I know all the manipulative approaches, and they were very annoying.)

In the evening, the same man arranged for a legitimate taxi cab to take us back to the border, but not without getting in the car along with his driver friend, ensuring he and his friend got a tip for all his troubles. (He won that round.)

Another man followed us for hours hoping we would accept his tour services. (We didn't.) A man at Mount Zion told us about how he visited New York and was happy to help us find our way. (After we declined, his kind eyes grew cold and he shouted, "Get away from my face!") Shopkeepers would stand outside their stores and all but force us inside, wrapping gifts we hadn't committed to purchasing and attempting to push the sales.

It was exhausting.

•The traffic is not that bad. We understood what traffic in Jerusalem might be like within seconds of arriving there. My brother was behind the wheel, waiting for a red light to turn green for what seemed like 10 minutes.

When the signal changed to green, it lasted about 10 seconds.

Amazingly, when traffic lights turned green in Jerusalem, that's when everyone honked their horns — they knew you had to go while the going's good!  

We don't hear horns almost non-stop here in Crestview. (I would actually count the number of seconds that passed when we didn't hear horns honking in Jerusalem. Because those times were so few and far between.)

So you see? It could be worse.

Of course, none of this means we shouldn't expect improvements in Northwest Florida.

It just means we should recognize that we really don't have it that bad.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Putting Crestview's challenges into perspective (PHOTOS)

Our cover story features a woman who lived through something unfathomable: more than a decade of sexual violence at her father's hand.

Kayla Strong — an alias — visited my office a week ago to tell her story. Before that, she emailed me about how there's not enough in the news about sexual and domestic violence.

From that first email to the end of our interview, something struck me. Despite experiencing unspeakable acts, despite her father's betrayal of his child's trust and love, this woman was strong. In fact, I think she was stronger than I was during the interview.

I've edited plenty of stories like this one, and have interviewed a number of people on difficult subjects in my nine-year career. But it was difficult to ask about Kayla's relationship with her father; perhaps the parent-child relationship is so sacred that even asking about her father's perversion seemed wrong.

But then Kayla reminded me: this story is for other survivors.

"I wish somebody would have shared their story with me," she said. "Whenever you are that young, you kind of feel like this is only happening to me; why isn't this happening to anyone else?"

I verified the story's facts with the Duval County Clerk of Court's office, but wish that we didn't have to shield the survivor's and relatives' names, because that meant shielding the abuser's name.

And unlike him, this woman has nothing to be ashamed of.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: I've met the strongest woman in Crestview

No matter how successful or smart we are, I believe that people never stop learning.

And after reading about Baker School students' participation in  Florida School Breakfast Week, it's clear that I could use a refresher on nutrition.

Gators who ate breakfast at school at least once during the week may have earned the chance to take photographs in fun hats, but the school also served a side of knowledge.

Namely that students are more alert and work more efficiently when they eat before school starts.  

It's like what North Okaloosa Medical Center's Healthy Woman program and the Main Street Crestview Association did with last week's Pink Street Party.

"The best way to slip in an important message is to mix it with a little fun …," Alicia Booker, Healthy Woman's community programs coordinator, said about the breast cancer awareness event.

And to email the News Bulletin about the important message, as Kelli Doss, Baker's cafeteria manager, had.

You know, eating breakfast wasn't difficult when I was younger. How could it be? Eggs, cereal, bacon, pastries — whatever — were ready to go. I just had to sit at the table.

But as I grew up and, in typical Boni tradition, found ways to make myself busy, breakfast went to the backburner of priorities.

I'd get caught up watching NBC's "Today," "Fox and Friends" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe." (I was such a cable news junkie just a few years ago and had to watch them all.)

And it's hard to keep up with all the news and views while preparing a nutritious meal, right?

OK, some days, I'll wake up early and go all out: make an omelet, prepare French toast and a glass of orange juice. And thank goodness for first Thursdays, when I attend the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast. That's a guaranteed full meal.

But some days, I'll throw an egg in a microwave-safe container, add seasoning and cheese and nuke it.  

Others — especially on a deadline — I'll pull a bag of cereal from the box, pack it with work things and wolf the contents by hand while checking morning email.

Then there are days when I'll convince myself that two One A Day multivitamins are enough.

Well, they're not! (Surprise, surprise.)  

Sometimes, we need reminders about the importance of "the most important meal of the day."

Kudos to Baker and other Northwest Florida schools for setting an example and providing that reminder to the community.

In fact, today before leaving home, I popped two multivitamins, grabbed a handful of grapes, thoughtfully chewed on them, and followed it with a half-glass of milk.

OK, I'm not perfect! But it's a start.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Remembering to eat breakfast (VIDEO)

While most Americans will worry about eating too much this holiday season, 16 million of our country’s children live in households that struggle to afford food, according to a 2012 report from the United States Department of Agriculture.

“We hear about ‘food insecurity’ quite a bit, especially after the 2008-09 economic crash, but I think most people don’t have a clear picture of what that means,” says Lois Brandt, a former Peace Corps volunteer and author of “Maddi’s Fridge," a children’s picture book that asks the question: what do you do if your best friend’s family doesn’t have enough food?

“Food insecurity means an empty refrigerator. Food insecurity means soda instead of milk. Food insecurity means a child coming to school hungry and unable to focus. Poverty may not look exactly the same in our country as it does in a war-torn region or a developing country, but it is affecting our children and their futures. Sometimes, working parents have to choose between rent and food, medicine and food, or gas and food.

Brandt suggests four things you can do to help prevent childhood hunger.

•  Support non-profit organizations like Feeding America (www.FeedingAmerica.org). Previously known as Second Harvest, Feeding America is a national network of food banks that feeds more that 37 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. It’s the nation’s leading organization for countering hunger and educating the public about this crisis.

“Public awareness is important,” Brandt says. “Many people simply do not know that we’re surrounded every day by hungry children.”

•  Talk to your children about childhood hunger and how they can help.  “When I was a child I opened my best friend’s refrigerator to get a snack and was shocked to see it held almost nothing,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do.”

As an adult, Brandt says she’s amazed by the number of people who share with her their own stories of childhood food insecurity.

“Rather than sheltering your children from this sad fact of American life, talking to them about it can help nurture their compassion and empathy,” she says. “And there’s plenty they can do to help, from making posters to raise awareness, to organizing a food drive at school.”

Taking action teaches children that they do have the power and ability to change the world for the better. 

•  Don’t make childhood hunger a political issue. Of course, childhood hunger doesn’t exist in a vacuum; issues like welfare, minimum wage, income inequality and access to health care – all of which are heavily politicized – surround the problem. Whatever your take on these topics, realize that no matter the decisions a parent has made in his or her lifetime, children are innocent and have no control of their family’s circumstances.

•  Volunteer with your family at a shelter or food pantry during the busy holiday season. While serving or cooking food for a holiday-themed meal at a shelter during Thanksgiving or Christmas does not solve the larger problem, it will affect every person whose life you touch that day. Your efforts and kind words can become a fond, lifelong memory for a child, or remind adults that others care and they’re not alone.

Volunteering also has personal benefits, not the least of which is knowing that, despite whatever problems you’re facing, you were able to help someone else.  

Lois Brandt is a children’s fiction writer whose work has appeared in Highlights and other fine children’s magazines. Her new book “Maddi’s Fridge,” illustrated by Vin Vogel, is the first picture book to address child hunger in the United States. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: GUEST COLUMN: 20% of US. children share this sad statistic

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Crestview and Northwest Florida are certainly ensuring everyone knows about it.

This month, check out these events:

•Pink Street Party, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Main Street, Crestview.

Downtown businesses will decorate their storefronts, pink ribbons will adorn light posts and pink lights will grace the Okaloosa County Courthouse terrace's gazebo, event organizer Alicia Booker has said.

North Okaloosa Medical Center's Healthy Woman event will include a breast cancer survivor march, and NOMC specialists will be available to educate attendees about breast cancer detection.

•Relay For Life Kickoff: 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Shoal River Middle School, 3200 E. Redstone Ave., Crestview.

The American Cancer Society annually presents an all-night walk to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those who died from the disease, get some exercise and have fun while doing so.

Thursday's party will include free refreshments for those who sign up a team for the 2015 event. In addition, event organizers will announce next year's theme —  as the event's publicity chairperson, I'm keeping my lips sealed, but it's a good one! Get ready to party! — and reward spirit points to those who donate canned goods.

•Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: 9 a.m. Oct. 18, Uptown Station, 99 Eglin Parkway N.E., Fort Walton Beach. Register at 8 a.m. or sign up to walk as an individual or on a team at www.makingstrideswalk.org.

The American Cancer Society's annual fundraiser for breast health programs, services and research may be in Fort Walton Beach, but participants come from all over Northwest Florida. 

This is just a sampling of events. Check your church bulletins and club and organizations' newsletters, as there are surely more ways to raise awareness.

So, why is this important?

We'll, we probably all know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, but funding fuels research. And some of the findings have saved lives and made symptoms manageable. (Death rates have dipped 32 percent in the past 20 years, according to the American Cancer Society's website.)

That's some promising progress, don't you think?

But the fight against cancer is not over.

That's why wearing pink this month, supporting local breast cancer research fundraisers and donating toward the cause is crucial. 

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR’S DESK: Think pink, change lives, North Okaloosa (VIDEO)