Four years ago, I visited Belize, the only English speaking country in Central America, for the purpose of working at an orphanage being newly built, just outside of Belize City.  I spent close to six months residing in the orphanage with my then 6-1/2 year old son.  Many of the children still linger in our hearts and we hope one day to perhaps apply for an adoption, if that becomes possible.
While in Belize, an ecological haven boasting the second largest barrier reef in the world, we spent much of …

Our meet-and-greeter was an independent, curious, jowly fish with wings like scalloped shells, a Nassau black grouper. Its face came right up to the camera, as if to say, “Welcome to my universe of color.”

For generations, descendants of the ancient civilizations have tried to guard the country’s natural and historical riches. More recently, the Belize government realized that discovery by tourists - though it is most welcome and a shot in the arm for the economy - places the country’s treasures in peril. At risk of being “loved to death” are the barrier reef, the hemisphere’s most extensive cave system, the Maya ruins and the sensitive rainforests that shelter endangered jaguars and hold the cures to many of the world’s ills.