The ups and downs in Year Three of non-stop budget travel. The Nomadic Family has lived in the Ecuadorian jungles, danced with Vietnamese at weddings, and are now training for the Annapurna Circuit trek where a documentary film crew will accompany them. The Nomadic Family appeared internationally in Washington Times, Rolf Pott's Vagabonding, Phnom Phen Post & Ynet. 
In Memory of Reabon- Unsung Heroes: 2013 Best Family Travel Blogs Celebration Begins
A small handful of us white folk stood shyly at the back of an all-black Southern church funeral. I knew Reabon as the cheerful janitor who knew everyone’s name, and stopped, every time to ask how you were doing and wish you a blessed day. He was so very extra happy the week he fell and died, for his girlfriend had just delivered a baby girl, and now, “I’m a father!” I wanted to get up on that stage when the preacher called for anyone who wanted to speak on behalf of the deceased. I wanted to tell them what light he brought to our synagogue community, but more so, I wanted to tell them how I had lost $465 in an envelope with names jotted on the outside in blue ink, and how, Reabon handed it to me on Monday morning with twinkling eyes, and an angel-like, “We got to look out for each other Ms. Gabby, don’t we?” He walked away with a nod and a tip of his baseball cap, unaware of how easily he could have taken that money home as a well-earned tip, unaware of how much I admired this man’s integrity, honesty, and light. Not getting on that stage is one of the few moments I deeply regret in my life. His girlfriend, newborn girl, and community deserved to know what an unsung hero Reabon was.
And so, friends, I’ve always loved celebrating Unsung Heroes. We did it also when I was the executive director of a non-profit, and we honored janitors, teacher’s aids, at-home mom volunteers, and lab assistants who normally went unnoticed. I like to find those who don’t normally get in the spot light, those who modesty try to do their best and silently succeed in their own perfect grace. This is not a popularity contest further glorifying those with the most Facebook friends, who have won the most awards, or who are the savviest social media marketers. We’re looking for Unsung Heroes- magical people now living across the globe who deserve to be sung about, praised, shared, and celebrated.
It is with great honor that I hereby open The 2013 Best Nomadic Family Travel Blogs Celebration. Will you join me in my deepest hope that maybe, just maybe, this year we’ll do something amazing and fantastic and bring some deeply deserved talent to the light?
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