Finally having just arrived back from a three week trip to Istanbul and Israel, April 4 – April 23, 2013 has been basically such an inspirational experience.  Somehow this experience has fired me up and given me an impetus to feel/think about the Montaigne Medal and where this is leading me? How it is shaping me for my next literary adventure? How has experiencing Agia Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople) impacted me?  How did the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, Masada, Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives, etc. all have activated me?  What effect has all this had on my own personal life? All I do know is that there is a deeper and deeper joy of life; and being in the present moment as much as possible.