The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 12

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 2, 2026- “Yeah, I got it.” Such was Hana’s response when I noted she had one of her favourite books. Mercer Mayer’s “Grandma, Grandpa and Me”, featuring his character, Little Critter. Sometimes, I think she is amused by how often we fawn over her activities. She may well already have a view of herself as an ordinary person, who hasn’t done anything special. To me, though, she will always be special-and worthy of praise.

I went for my thrice a year dental check-up, this morning, after running Aram back to the house, after he dropped his car off for service. I thought I would be late for the appointment, but in fact had the hour wrong, and so, was fifty minutes early. The teeth are in good shape, as are Hana’s-with the first stages of her top lateral incisors (canines) starting to poke through.

Hana is easy to please at our adult mealtimes. All she needs are bits of fruit on her high chair tray, as she has already had lunch and dinner, by the time we three sit down. She just wants to feel like she is a part of what’s happening.

HANA’S NOTE- I was happy today, because my Daddy worked from home and I got to have lunch with him. Papa brought some food from wherever he went this morning. It was all grownup food, though.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2016 My Altima died, in Newtown, CT, after taking me clear to my mother’s house in Massachusetts and getting an oil change at the shop I have used, when in Saugus. No one there noticed anything strange. Yet, when I pulled into a gas station in Newtown, intending to simply fill up and head south towards Pennsylvania, the car started smoking. A gallon of coolant did nothing, three strong men volunteered to help me push the Altima into a parking space and the car was towed to a junkyard. A taxi dropped me, and my bags, off at a motel in Bethel-10 miles away. Thanks to my middle brother, I scored a nice Hyundai Elantra, and after three days in Bethel, I bid farewell to the Altima, and was on my way south again.

This was not a year to go to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, as I once had planned. It was a good summer for visiting Fort Sumner, joining “Christmas in July” (at a cousin’s house in Missouri), taking in Independence Day in central Indiana, visiting Bushkill Falls (where my in-laws had honeymooned, back in 1948) and making the rounds in Amarillo, Enid, Wilmette, Mishawaka, Oley and at my family’s various residences. The Elantra took me safely down to Harrisonburg, VA, Atlanta, Spring Hill, FL and across the south, eventually stopping in Boulder and Longmont, CO, then back down to Arizona.

I helped my homeless friend find a safe place to live-and to feel wanted, possibly for the first time in his long life. I saw justice done to a grifter who had tried to bilk about a hundred of us, some out of their life savings. He paid as much back as he could, went to prison and the rest of us moved on.

In the Fall, I took on work in another classroom full of special needs children, led at first by a snarky former pre-school teacher, then by a more qualified Special Needs teacher, who appreciated my efforts. 2017 looked to be a bit more promising, with a reliable car, a stable job and good standing in the community, largely due to my volunteer efforts.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 11

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 1, 2026- Hana made an assisted walk from the recliner in the living room to the sofa in the family room-a distance of about 75 feet. We took three short breaks, of less than a minute, along the way. She decided when the breaks would happen and when the walk would resume. As she gets taller, it is easier on my back.

My granddaughter is also answering “Yeh”, when asked if she feels good about something. “No” will come soon enough, I suppose. She continues to be very chatty, especially with her mother. The other side is that she is starting to understand when Yunhee has to tend to other things, and Hana is getting better at playing by herself.

We noticed, this evening, that she is outgrowing her little bath tub. It will soon be time to use a larger vessel, that will have to be fit inside the master bath tub, rather than inside the kitchen sink. This growth spurt is amazing-and it won’t be the last.

HANA’S NOTE- I am starting to really understand Papa’s and Daddy’s language. They call it English. I can make sense of Mama’s language, just a little. She calls it Hangu’l-mar. Papa calls it Korean. Mostly, I just know how Mama feels, by how she talks.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2015 I have remained committed to visiting the places that Penny and I had listed, but had never gotten around to seeing. Some of that was done this year. I also drove across the South, to Florida, with the aim of helping to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. After visiting a Xanga friend, in Lynn Haven, near Panama City, I headed towards The Villages, where the family lived. Outside Ocala, I got a call that said, essentially, the visit was off. Dementia does hard things to its victim and to the family. I headed back to Tallahassee and spent a day or so, taking in the capital, then went up to Sylacauga, AL and spent a few hours with another Xanga friend. (Xanga, for the uninitiated, was a blogsite, to which I belonged between 2008-11. I have visited several friends-particularly in Orange County, CA; Oklahoma,, Amarillo, Portland, Washington State, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Oley, PA.)

My drive back gave me time to check out the five missions of the Alamo, and to take in the Trans-Pecos region, between Uvalde and El Paso. Marfa was a town that I found most interesting.

Back in Prescott, I had drawn the attention of a homeless man, who had not experienced such a kind life. I took him places that he needed to go and let him shower in the apartment, every so many days. He himself ran afoul of some rather rough people in town, and when they spotted him in my KIA Optima, there was retribution. On the Saturday before Easter, as I was driving back from a hike in the Payson area, my brakes snapped and I ended up in a ditch. The Optima was toast, and while I was assessed a Defensive Driving class, the attendant at the police impound yard noted that the brake lines had been cut. I left the matter to the police to investigate. I was physically okay, got adjusted by my chiropractor and went about getting another vehicle.

The Nissan Altima had significant issues with its transmission, after about three weeks. I got what seemed to be a fix, then bid my homeless friend adieu and headed north for few weeks. I got as far as Hawthorne, NV, had a hard time with the vehicle, and had visions of being in the town of one auto repair shop through Memorial Day weekend, until God knew when. I got one of those spirit messages that come every so often: “We’re going to get you to Reno.” The car started, and by the grace of God, through my late, beloved wife, her father, and most likely my own dear dad, I got to a Casino parking lot, in Sparks, and had the Altima towed the rest of the way to Reno. A good transmission shop had the car back in tip top shape, after a week. I had a nice visit with my friends in Reno and Carson City, in the meantime.

Then came Alaska. I drove through northern California, Oregon and Washington, leaving the Altima in a secure lot in Bellingham. The ferry took me to Wrangell, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. I found magic in each of those places, and would gladly return, though so far it hasn’t been to be in the cards. On the way back, I went up to Vancouver for a day or so, then drove over to Anacortes, WA and hopped on another ferry, this one going to Sidney, BC, and from there to Victoria. It was National Aboriginal Day there, so I joined the festivities and took a tour led by a member of the Songhees First Nation. A huge amount of Aboriginal history was imparted that afternoon.

I observed Father’s Day in Monroe, WA, enjoying a fine Italian meal, and stayed in a nice little cabin by the river. The days ahead took me through eastern Washington, western Idaho, and back through Oregon’s “Outback”, another stop in Reno and back, safely, to Prescott.

The rest of the year was fairly peaceful. I covered a third grade class, in a charter school, for a few months and successfully taught the kids to sing “Winter Wonderland”, in choral style. Some of those children remained close to me, even until their graduation from high school, nine years later.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 10

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

August 31, 2026- Hana knows that her Papa is hurting a bit right now. My best friend in Prescott is dealing with a life-threatening disease. The person who did the work of ten people is now sidelined. It is a gut punch for me. I can only imagine what it must be like for her children and grandchildren.

My granddaughter has been trying to make me feel better, even as she has no knowledge of suffering, let alone the likelihood of death. I want to keep it that way, for as long as possible. So, we went on our stroller walk, this morning and I did a solo jaunt this evening, after dinner. Hana talked to me during our morning walk, looking happily at the trees and rocks around Russell Creek, and the solid bridge that pases over it.

That brings me to the other shockers- The flash floods that ravaged opposite parts of the world. Nepal and Tibet have been devastated by glacial breakage that led to multiple villages, on both sides of the border, being wiped off the face of the Earth. Thousands have been killed. There is likely more to come. At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, every bridge that crossed Bright Angel Creek was swept away by a torrent. 2 are dead and 15 people remain missing, Two tragedies, one almost unfathomable and one painfully symbolic.

HANA’S NOTE- I don’t know what dying means,but Papa looked sad when he talked with Daddy about his friend. I don’t want Papa to be sad.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2014 I wasn’t completely ready to travel overseas, but I went anyway. I promised my ailing father-in-law that I would travel to Normandy, for the 70th anniversary of D-Day and I did. He passed away, three weeks before that, and I did a boomerang journey to attend his funeral in New Jersey, return to Prescott for two weeks then go back to Newark, to catch a plane to Frankfurt-by way of Montreal and Ottawa. Four days in Paris preceded the D-Day events. I took in the Louvre, Versailles and Trocadero. I fended off some Roma “goldsmiths” and twice as many trinket vendors, most of them recent arrivals from French-speaking parts of Africa. A visit to Rouen brought me to the ruins of a church, where my ancestors had been baptized-right next to the spot where Joan of Arc had been burned at the stake. I spent some time in the dungeon where she had been held. Then came D-Day observances, of which I took in the daytime events and passed on a late night recreation of the landing.

Rennes, Mont St.Michel, Amiens, Lille, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Bastogne, Luxembourg and Frankfurt followed. Lastly, came Berga, where my father-in-law had been held as a prisoner-of-war, for the last six months of World War Ii. He was a Jew, and yet made it out alive, with American troops coming into the camp, right after the German troops had left. The area around the camp had a harrowing ambiance, still. Berga town, and nearby Jera, had the air of cities in recovery, having been part of the former East Germany, until 1989.

In October, I flew to Honolulu and met Aram and his ship, then took my place on what was billed a “Tiger Cruise”. Family members of crew joined the return to San Diego. I spent most of the time with Aram at his station and enjoyed the peacefulness of the open ocean. Whales and dolphins appeared alongside the ship, a few times.

I still had a way to go, in reaching stability, but I held my own on these long journeys. I also sold the house in Prescott, on behalf of my mother-in-law, sent her the proceeds, and moved into a one-bedroom apartment. The year ahead would be even more restorative.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 9

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 30, 2026- Hana mostly just wanted individual time with each of us, so we took turns in the Playpen and letting her nap in our arms. She is also more vocal and keeps eye contact, to make sure we understand what she wants.

She wore a skirt with panty, in the morning, then was switched to her first pair of jeans, in the afternoon. These made no difference to her, except during diaper changes. She is fairly adaptable, though, showing that her trust is very deep.

Mommy and Daddy took Hana with them, on a morning run to H-Mart. I went to a Baha’i devotional, then came back to a fine lunch of freshly made kim bap (sushi rolls). I recall, fondly, that this was my first Korean food, back in 1986. Yunhee does it very well.

HANA’S NOTE- I was so happy when Papa came back from the place he often goes on Sunday. He brought his prayer book, so it must have been a nice meeting.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2013 I was planning for my summer journey to be a spiritual quest of sorts: Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Spirit (“Devils”) Tower, Black Elk Peak, Pipestone, the Baha’i House of Worship (Wilmette),and my brother, Glenn’s Sail Blind race, off Newport, RI were on the itinerary. First, though, was a birthday party for my twin sisters-in-law, in Colorado. It would all have gone nicely, but I tripped up, emotionally and spiritually, allowing confusion to set in and sidetrack me,a fair amount That it caused problems for a devoted friend haunted me for a good long time.

The shattering of our Prescott community, just prior to my journey, also had an effect on my own equilibrium, and the fact that only two years had elapsed, since I lost Penny, didn’t help. Yet, on June 30, 19 wildland firefighters died in a firestorm, west of Prescott. There were several people displaced and I helped man a Red Cross shelter, for three days, until a larger crew arrived to lead the sheltering effort.

In the end, the journey had its sublime moments, I reached each of the places on my itinerary and began to make amends to said friend.

No sooner had I returned to Prescott, than I read an appeal from a single mother to help with moving. I answered that appeal, and made a friendship that has lasted to this day. Additionally, my friend introduced me to do Terra natural supplements, which I also use to this day. My gratitude to Melissa knows no bounds.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 8

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 29, 2026- Hana reveled in going to a Brunch establishment, Sunrise Cafe, in Allen, about five miles north of here. Though she already had her lunch, she was happy to sit in a high chair and tap on the table, looking around at the different people coming in and out, as well as at the large conduits hanging from the ceiling. We enjoyed our brunch items and I found my Tex-Mex omelet comparable to the ones I enjoyed at Zeke’s, in Prescott.

She also was intrigued later in the afternoon, when we were filling boxes with items for return. That activity had the side effect of my emptying two large boxes, so that they could be used for the returns. It thus made my common space upstairs a bit tidier. Hana likes to watch processes take place, especially when these are involving her mother.

HANA’S NOTE- I like going to different places now. I didn’t so much before I could sit in a high chair. It is fun to look around.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2012 I began to have a sense of equilibrium again, after eight years of feeling buffeted. I was again substitute teaching, this time in the three major districts of western Yavapai County: Prescott, Humboldt (Prescott Valley) and Chino Valley. I was more selective about which classes I would cover. Most of the time, the days went successfully. I also joined the American Legion, began volunteering with the American Red Cross and connected with a group called Slow Food.

I began to get out on the hiking trails of the Prescott area and other parts of northern Arizona, during the school year. One memorable event was the “Longest Day Challenge” (6/21), in which I hiked the Grand Canyon, from the South Rim to the Colorado River and back, using the Bright Angel Trail-which had water stations every 1-1.5 miles. Devil’s Corkscrew was the hottest and most challenging part. On the way back, I encountered a woman about my age telling the young Park Rangers that she would walk up and out of the Canyon as she saw fit. She was stumbling about and seemed disoriented, so some of us prevailed on her to follow the Rangers’ instructions. She got into the helicopter. The rest of the way, I hiked with three young Mexicans. The girls were a bit overwhelmed by how “difficult” it seemed, but we took it slowly and got back to the Rim around 9 p.m.

I branched out, traveling around the state of Texas, in May, then going to Massachusetts, by way of Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. This became a yearly itinerary, thereafter. In September, we Baha’is commemorated the centenary of a visit by ‘Abdu’l-Baha to North America. I was planning to go with three ladies from the Prescott area, but one by one, they canceled. I drove instead to visit the Smiths, Baha’i friends who lived in Reno, and the three of us went to San Francisco and Oakland, where events were held throughout the weekend. I then drove along the Coast, through northern California, Oregon and Washington, re-visiting Portland and seeing Seattle for the first time. When a fire threatened Wenatchee, in central Washington, I went there, rather than stay in Seattle, and joined several Baha’is in prayer for protection. I went back to Reno for a bit, then drove to Salt Lake City and Glenwood Springs, CO, for other commemorative events.

Southern California also became a focus, as Aram was stationed in San Diego and a friend in Orange County was one of my regular correspondents, so I got to enjoy quality seafood and take in a lovely beach town, each time I visited.

I will be focusing more on each of the states, provinces and countries I’ve visited, after this series on Years in Remembrance is finished.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 7

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 28, 2026- “Let’s go.” With that remark, Hana stood at the gate to her playpen, and was ready for me to help her take some steps. She is not shy about asking for help, or,as was the case today, telling me she wants assistance. I carefully opened the gate and we took about a dozen steps, almost making it to her mother’s office. She stopped at the small rise between her play pit and the front door. After thinking for a few minutes, she took the step up and made it along the wooden floor as far as her father’s pair of sneakers. Her mother came out of the office and Hana decided she’d done enough step-taking for the morning.

The three of us went shopping at Costco, as Aram was at work. When Yunhee said she was going into the fruit cooler, to get blueberries, Hana excitedly said “Yum!” She can’t get enough of them. The four of us do go through blueberries rather quickly.

She was exhausted by day’s end, not letting herself sleep, even when put down for a nap. She had to keep practicing standing and scooting, much of the afternoon. After her bath, she was in bed by 6:45, and out like a light.

HANA’S NOTE- I am glad that Papa understands me, when I say some words in his language. I am understanding his language, and my Mama’s, more and more.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2011 Aram made the call, while I was at work, in the last few days of February. Penny’s visiting doctor and home nurse had both come down with the flu and were unable to fulfill their visits. She needed care, regardless, so back to the Hospice she went. We spent most of our time there, the next several days. Penny began to throw out the artwork that visiting children had left, and she was asleep most of the time, anyway. My wife of twenty nine years became unresponsive in the evening of March 3. She remained in laboured breathing, the next day. as there was no available room for me to stay that night, Aram and I went home.

The next morning, I awoke to a heavy presence that filled our bedroom. I knew Penny was saying goodbye. Getting up and readying for the day, I took a call from the Hospice, just after 6 a.m. We had to go there quickly. When Aram and I arrived at the Hospice, the air was still, but there was a light spiral of dust and leaves going upward, near the front door. We went inside, where the nurse said she had just checked on Penny and she was lying calmly, in shallow breath. That breath had stopped, however, at 6:03, and her still warm body was lifeless, as I held her hand. We summoned the doctor, called a friend who was a mortician, and spent about thirty minutes saying our own goodbyes. We then had to drive to Prescott, and sat with Penny’s parents, in this time that no parent should have to endure.

The following Tuesday, I wrapped my beloved’s body in silk, carefully following the directions I was getting from her spirit. It was a dignified ending, to a horrific eight years of physical and mental decline. It had witnessed me grappling with every bit of self-loathing, while I kept going because Penny needed me, our son needed me and, I needed myself to get a grip and somehow pull through.

Family came, we gave her a loving funeral and then, I was alone, save for our son. I went back to work at Dysart and Glendale Union, the following Monday. Outside of work, though, I was a shell of a person, for two months. In May, Aram and I drove east, to my third niece’s wedding, in New Hampshire, one for which Penny and I had prayed for most of our last year together. It was an event that I needed to attend, even if some of the family thought it was too soon for me to be out. It was a beautiful affair.

Summer came soon after. Aram entered the Navy. I moved my belongings to Prescott, leaving behind our home of eight years. Then I drove east, again, spending a week at Louhelen Baha’i School, slowly pulling myself together. Visits with family in Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts were alternately hard and comforting, but I’m glad to have made them. When I went back to Prescott, it felt like I was settling into a haven of peace. Gradually, I would shed the cloak of self-loathing and earn the respect of all but one or two of my family members. I would also feel like I had found community, at long last.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 6

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 27,2026- My granddaughter has started joking around, in her way, telling me a fair amount of babbling, then giggling. I then get a hug around the neck. She will also shout :”Hey”, from the playpen, to see who answers. She has been sleeping more soundly at night, though she gets up at 5 a.m., probably a bit too soon for her parents. Sometimes, Hana will see that they are sleeping, and lie back down, herself.

Hana is also getting more confident in her standing. She is listening better to her parents and making an effort to not try to stand up, when in the dining high chair. That was starting to make us more than a little nervous. She loves our early morning walks in the stroller, occasionally singing little tunes, as we go along.

HANA’S NOTE- Is something happening in the sky? It seems like some people are acting strange. I’m glad my grownups are not.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2010 Penny began sleeping more, in February. I kept watch on her, but when she was awake, she seemed lucid. I taught a class at the same Community College where Penny had studied in 2000. It went so/so. My teaching was not altogether focused and a rather pedantic delivery, much of the time, didn’t help. I substituted in the two districts, on days when I wasn’t in class. My son and a couple of young people who were living with us helped tend to Penny, while I was putting food on the table and keeping the utilities on.

Our finances had collapsed, though, and we faced foreclosure. An arrangement was worked out, where we were able to short sell the home, and the investor who bought it let us live there, for as long as Penny was able to stay with us. I did what I could to renovate: Painting the exterior, replacing the carpet and painting the major rooms.

By June, Penny needed surgery on her back and was officially diagnosed with Polyglucosan Body Disease. Following the fairly successful surgery, though, she needed to be in rehabilitation, in a specialty hospital. She was treated fairly well there, and had the serendipity of her breathing therapist being a young lady who we knew as a baby in Tuba City, nearly twenty five years earlier. The girl only made the connection when she told her mother, also a nurse, about her work with Penny, and her mother remembered us.

We continued with my working, Penny remaining in the specialty hospital and Aram going through his semester at a community college, until November, when the insurance ran out. Penny was then deemed ready for hybrid hospice care, Some alternatives were presented, which both Penny and I considered unseemly. We arranged for her to be treated by a visiting hospice doctor and nurse.

I was about to turn 60, a milestone that was important to my siblings, as our dad had not made it that far. Aram and I celebrated on my actual birthday, 11/28, with three of the boarders, enjoying pizza. My two brothers and a sister-in-law came to Phoenix in early December, and joined the three of us at Durant’s Restaurant, a top Phoenix steakhouse. It would be Penny’s last restaurant meal. We also took in the APS Parade of Lights, a nice touch that was one of my wife’s last enjoyable outings. I took her to the Grand Canyon Baha’i Conference, for a couple of days, as well.

When we “rang in the New”, ten of us saw 2011 arrive. My beloved wife slept through it, and we would have only two more months together.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 5

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Family, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 26,2026- Hana was able to stand upright, without support, for four seconds. She is also able to scoot, along the bars of the playpen, for about five steps at a time, and is able to transition from one section of the bars to its perpendicular neighbour.. She is on a rather systematic mission to master all the prerequisites of walking.

My grandchild has associated my being with her, with her parents’ absence. So, she was trying to figure out why I still rock her to sleep for her afternoon nap, when she knows her mother is in the house. I explained that “Mommy needs a nap, herself.” She then relaxed and went to sleep on my shoulder, seeming to understand that it would be hard for either of them to sleep, as Hana likes to play with Yunhee, when they are in the playpen or on the bed,

Hana has her grandmother’s single-mindedness, and will surely master anything to which she sets her mind. The rub is that she will need to learn when to defer her mission, so that things her parents need her to do can take precedence. This will later transfer to her school life. The willfulness can work, once that balance is reached.

HANA’S NOTE- I like to have just a small snack, like bits of fruit or cucumber, when my grownups eat their big meals. I have my meals earlier, but I still want to sit with them and be part of things.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2009 I was starting to get overwhelmed by trying to hold down a job, at the same time as the long hours needed to care for Penny, as she became increasingly unstable. She could no longer drive. That came to an end in 2007, when she admitted to being scared to even try driving in an empty parking lot. She could manage her motorized scooter, but wanted me to be with her, when she was anywhere other than the ASU West campus.

I left WIS, in March, and went to work for a mental health agency, whose motto was “New Ways of Thinking”. Those turned out to be “The boss is always right” and “We are here to serve the insurance industry.” In fairness, I was running on fumes a good part of the time I was serving clients, and even more so when sitting in training sessions or in meetings. I was let go, at the end of the 3-month probation period, but was not replaced. A co-worker I met by chance, afterward, told me they were trying to cut costs-and that was the real reason I was terminated.

I attended Penny’s graduation from ASU West, a few weeks later. There, we met Nancy Pelosi, the singer Alice Cooper and President Barack Obama, who gave the graduation address. Penny had opted out of attending all her other graduation ceremonies, over the years. The meaning of this one made up for all those.

We made one last road trip across the country, to attend my second eldest nephew’s wedding, in New Jersey. As it was, by chance, not far from the Fellmans’ house, we stayed there, though Penny’s parents were in Arizona. Her younger sister was there, though. The wedding was lovely, but the trip had a finality to it, that I could not completely grasp. One silver lining was that all the work we had done, the past six years, to get access to restrooms for disabled people and their opposite sex caregivers, was starting to pay off. In four states along the way, we found facilities that had “family” restrooms-one seaters that could be locked from the inside. Other times, we still had to prevail on kind souls to stand guard outside, while we tended to nature’s call.

Lady, our family dog for the past fourteen years, passed away in September. She was 17 and had severe arthritis, unable to move without screaming in pain. It almost felt like she was going on, to prepare a place for Penny-but we were far from ready to give up the fight. I went back to substitute teaching and she busied herself with looking for positions in Technology Education.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 4

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Striving

August 25,2026- Hana had another good day with her mother being around. She was again very active and vocal, calling up to me, every so often,as I spent much of the day clearing out boxes and hauling a couple of them to Goodwill.

Her newest attempt is to try and climb, but there is no foothold in the playpen-so fortunately, this is not something that rings alarm bells, yet. We are actively planning out which cabinets and drawers will get the zip ties, where the gates will go and which currently accessible cords and plugs need to be moved. We have about two months to get that all arranged.

Hana’s favourite book, right now, is “Love, Monster”. When she looks at the rather innocuous hairy beast on the cover, she growls “Raaaah”. Then she opens the book and gives the monster a kiss. She likes the ending, in which the red-haired monster falls in love with a brown-haired female monster.

HANA’S NOTE- I am tired today, after a strange dream just before I woke up. I am glad that Mommy and Papa are here, so I am safe.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2008 We spent a lot of our nest egg on an inchoate stem cell treatment. We were just willing to try anything to counteract Polyglucosan Body Disease. Penny spent most of the time that she wasn’t working on her Masters Program researching the disease and any possible treatments. She found an American-run clinic in Tijuana that looked about as promising as anything available in the U.S. It didn’t have much effect and follow-up treatments were beyond our means.

Then, the housing bubble burst, and we were on the ropes with our mortgage, which we had been paying down fairly well up to this point. As autumn turned to winter, I was still working for WIS and at the two school districts (Dysart and Glendale Union). Penny was still getting her retirement and SSDI. Aram worked for WIS, a while longer, then was mostly covering for me, while I was at work.

The bottom would drop out, in the year ahead, and family would be our saving grace.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 3

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Community, Education, Family, Historical, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 24, 2026- Hana is now trying to stand, just momentarily, without holding onto the bar, whilst in the play pen. She managed for a split second, then reached and grabbed the bar, to steady herself. Most of her practice involves holding onto the bar, though more and more, she is using her right hand only to steady herself, whilst upright.

She has her mother largely to herself this week, and maybe next, as Yunhee transitions into a another position. So, I used the time to empty my storage unit and clean out a few boxes, once I had everything upstairs. Gradually, the mess that I once let sprawl out in my apartment will be sent to a new life somewhere else or will be recycled.

Hana talked almost constantly, much of the day. She called out to her mother: “Oma!” or to me: “Papa!”, Her father was called, also, almost as soon as he walked in the door, this evening: “Daddy!” She seems to be telling us how important her practicing is. We all agree.

HANA’S NOTE- I have a lot on my mind, so I have to share it.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2007 Even with Penny being wheelchair bound, we still made it across country to several of the family weddings. We went to our eldest niece’s wedding, in New Hampshire, last Fall. This summer, with a Graduate School “Virtual Field Trip” project woven into the itinerary, we attended our eldest nephew’s wedding, in the Atlanta area. The ceremonies were both lofely, though I admit that I was a bit worn down from caring for Penny.

We had flown to/from New Hampshire, last year. This time, we flew to Atlanta and rented a car to drive along the East Coast, after the wedding. Our stops, mainly for taking footage to be included in Penny’s project, were: Savannah; Hilton Head Island (where we were nearly flooded out of our motel room); Charleston (SC); Wilmington (NC); Fredericksburg and Mount Vernon (VA); Washington, DC (where we took in part of the National Mall, before being sheltered in the White House Visitor Center, with 100 other travelers, due to the heavy rain); King of Prussia (PA) and the Old City of Philadelphia; a pit stop, each way, at the Fellmans’, in Bedminster,(NJ); and the North Shore (MA), where we were treated to a 25th Anniversary seafood dinner, at Woodman’s, in Esssex, courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law (Glenn and Barbie).

All the way, Penny’s rickety wheelchair hung in there, with emergency repairs done by our brother-in-law, Buck, in New Jersey. We stopped in Greensboro, NC, on the way back to Atlanta, then drove through the rain to a motel near the Georgia capital, the next day. We were nearly hit by a student driver, but I managed to see her swerving and moved to the next lane. She was in tears, mouthing “I’m sorry”, as I passed her a mile or so further. I was no prize, at that age, so I just smiled and kept on. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and headed back to Phoenix, rickety wheelchair and all.

Fall and winter were more WIS, International and substituting at both Glendale Union and Dysart, while Penny plugged away at her third Masters and volunteered with a campus environmental group. She also dabbled in the Melaleuca Company, a nutritional supplement firm, based in Idaho, and got me involved with Ameriplan USA, a multilevel marketing company. I stuck with that for a couple of years, then distanced myself-the majority of the people involved were rather difficult to be around. We volunteered a bit with Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childhelp USA, an abuse and neglect prevention organization. Penny was able to get a motorized scooter, in mid-September, which made things a lot easier. I had the Saturn outfitted with a retractable platform,which secured the scooter.

Slowly, though, we were moving towards a time of reckoning.