The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 22

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

June 12, 2026- Hana may well be a foodie. Her eyes lit up, and she sat forward, for each bite of solid food that I presented to her at lunchtime. She is definitely already a member of the Clean Plate Club.

She then burns it all off, working incessantly at little push-ups, and crawls around the play pen. She also likes to have her feet up in the air, grabbing them with opposite hands. Then comes the power nap.

We took a walk through Hoblitzelle Park, this morning. It wasn’t all that hot, but the humidity hung in the air. Hana abides the morning walk, but when I suggested going out again this afternoon, she was very firmly not interested. I checked the temperature-and my granddaughter had it right.

Instead, I put on a Beatles tune, “Bungalow Bill”, one of their sillier songs and mimed it, which she giggled at. I danced around with her afterward, to “Give Peace A Chance”. She lost interest, though, after the twelfth repetition of the title verse.

I was asked, recently, whether I will be traveling any time soon. Some people think that, as soon as Hana can walk, my work here should be done. No, it’ll be “done’ when she is independent enough (age 7 or 8) that my presence does not need to be 24/7. My granddaughter comes from sensitive stock, and needs to know that she is deeply loved.

I miss many people across the country and the world. Those who are true friends know that my work on her behalf is worth every minute. They also know that they will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully, I’ll see many again. For now, there is social media and there is e-mail.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 21

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Community, Family, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Striving

June 11, 2026- While Hana napped, this morning, I called my second brother, on the occasion of his birthday, He has lived an extraordinary life, learning skills needed to navigate daily life, whilst legally, then virtually blind. He worked as head of Kayem Meats’ financial division, until his retirement a few years ago. He took part in Sail Blind, in the 2010s, and I had the honour of sitting in an observation boat, for one of their sails, off Newport, RI, in 2013. His sons are doing well in life, and his grandchildren are navigating life’s challenges to the best of their abilities. I have seen him as a role model, more than once, in my own checkered career.

Hana continues to show signs of which direction she may follow, in the years ahead. She is into neatness, wiping her mouth with a bib or cloth after every other bite. She is also working on self reliance-holding her own spoon and steadying her bottle with both hands-though I continue to “assist” in guiding both.. She likes to hold books and studies each page carefully, for several minutes. She does not want me to flip the pages too quickly.

While she was napping, this afternoon, she seemed to have had a nightmare, shrieking several times. I was able to calmly talk to her and held her to convey that everything was alright, and that it was just a bad dream. It took a while, maybe seven or eight minutes, before she finally stopped whimpering. It’s always hard to know what a pre-lingual person dreams about, but whatever it was must have been a doozy. I’m just glad to be here for her, in happy moments and in scary ones.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 20

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

June 10, 2026– Hana and I both understood that this would be a longer day than usual. Her parents took one vehicle to work, meaning that her Dad would have to wait for her Mom to get off work, at the mandated time of 5:30, before they drove back together. That adds an hour to his workday, but in the face of the inflation that is so cherished by some of the nation’s elite, people do what they must.

My granddaughter studies the faces of clocks and watches. She knows that my watch says 6:10, on most days when her father walks through the door. She saw that it said 7:10, when they walked through the door this evening. What that means to a five-month old child is beyond my grasp, but she is fixated on numbers.

For all that, she devoted her day to practicing the upper body support exercises that will lend support to sitting upright without support and to walking. Children just go through this process naturally. Hana has a single-minded devotion to it.

She is also showing two other aspects of her personality: Wardrobe preference and neatness. When I gave her a choice of what clothing to wear today, she chose a red and white polka dot onesie, with a green frog emblem. The emblem is to be worn on the back, but Hana wanted it on the front, so who am I to argue. When her bib got messy, during this morning’s solid feeding, she kept trying to pull it off, though we were not finished with the meal. She was much happier when I put a clean bib on her, and her face was cleaned.

She likes several musical selections, and was delighted by Harry Nilsson’s “Me and My Arrow”, from his recording, “The Point!”, which I played for her this evening.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 19

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Entertainment, Fiction, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

June 9, 2026- Hana enjoys my vocal impersonations of various animal characters in the stories I read her each day. More important, though, and thus a cause for measured repetition of some stories, is the ethic being conveyed in several of the tales: Cooperation, fairness, justice and equity, in particular.

In a story from a “Girl Power” series, Princess Jasmine, of the “Aladdin” series, captains a women’s polo team and decides to focus on the strengths of her three team members. Each of the players thus contributes mightily to the team’s holding a far more formidable opponent to a draw. Jasmine then notices that the opposing team’s captain is scoring all the goals herself, while the teammates have little to do. Jasmine decides to give each of the opposing players, except the captain, a chance to score a goal. This, of course, leads to the opposing team winning the match. Jasmine is given a Gold Medal for sportsmanship.

I can’t imagine any team in modern professional sports doing anything remotely like this. For that matter, I can’t imagine any youth sports encouraging such behaviour, though there is an innate sense of fair play among the kids themselves-but not among the adults coaching or watching the event. Still, the idea of encouraging even one’s opponents, in the name of everyone having a good experience, is well worthy of consideration.

A similar tone is struck in other stories I’ve read to Hana: The idea that even competitive sports can be grounded in fair play, and everyone having fun, is well worth getting back to. The handshakes at the end of many team sports ought to mean more than just a good look for the cameras.

This brings me to last night’s NBA Finals, Game 3. There should not be a situation where being from the visiting team’s city or wearing its paraphernalia is a reason to practically need an armed escort. Those whose sense of pride, or even sense of well-being, depends on the home team winning are barking up the wrong tree. I say this, having grown up in the Boston area, and having “loved to hate” New York or Montreal teams. We loved to “boo” the Yankees, the Knicks, the Canadiens or Rangers. Yet, when a plane carrying Yankees’ catcher Thurman Munson crashed, in August, 1979, Boston fans and players expressed grief and sorrow. None was more heartbroken than Munson’s alpha rival, Carlton Fisk, who paid tribute to Munson, when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 2000.

My most cherished hope for my granddaughter is that she will be imbued with the spirit of fair play.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 18

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Education, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

June 8, 2026- Hana took it upon herself to help me in revising her schedule today. On her own, she pointed towards the master bedroom, wanting to be put down for a nap. This nap lasted two hours, after which she enjoyed her lunch of beef and rice, followed by a bottle. There was then an hour or so of play, in the pen,-and a second nap, which wasn’t nearly as long.

Another hour of play was followed by a couple of stories, which she found amusing and a short walk along one of the nearby side streets. By this time, four hours had passed since her last meal, so she had her second bottle of the day. Altogether, she is down to four feedings of milk per day and the given day’s pureed solid food.

She is diligently working at crawling with her torso off the ground and trying to sit unassisted. She is also vocalizing more, especially calling for her mom and dad. She is also less prone to crying for them, perhaps starting to be secure in knowing that they will be coming home after work.

It is a joy to see my granddaughter want to be a full agent in her growth and development. I look forward to all the stages ahead.

The Hana Chronicles, Month 5, Day 17

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Entertainment, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Striving

June 7, 2026- Hana had her first taste of meat today. It was boiled, pureed beef, which she found underwhelming. I can’t imagine it would be all that appetizing, especially after having the same meat, seasoned and grilled, as part of a steak salad dinner, this evening. Still, a baby can only eat soft foods at first. Four incisors don’t make for very good chewing. She finished the serving, though, and will have the same tomorrow.

She also went on her first coffee shop visit, this afternoon. Local Good Coffee House is a shop that is staffed mostly by high school students who are doing community service. Only the manager is paid. The rest of the proceeds, outside of overhead costs, go to education and public health funding. We sat and enjoyed cold lattes, while Hana alternately looked around and napped on her Daddy’s shoulder. She noticed a toddler arguing with her mother, at one point and babbled some words in what sounded like a scolding tone. The little girl may or may not have heard her, but decided to obey her mother, shortly afterward. Energy can have a positive effect.

I spent the morning volunteering at the Red Cross Donation Center, in southwest Plano. We had about twenty donors, but after registering them, I passed the time watching Dhar Mann videos on the center’s TV. Dhar Mann is a producer of short episodes that teach a positive moral lesson, often using plot twists. The scripts are simplistic and the acting so/so, but for children and adolescents, the stories could be useful. When the time comes, I will watch some of them with Hana, say when she is 8 or 9.

It was a nice weekend. Now, we get ready for another week of developmental activities. Her current focus is on getting herself to sit upright. She is almost there.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 16

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, Inspiration, Social, Striving

June 6, 2026- At 6:06 a.m., I heard a little voice on the baby monitor: “I up!”

Hana was ready to start her day, and by 6:30, she had gotten her mother to take her out of the crib. That’s just how it is: Infants and seniors seem to get up at the same time every day. The rest of the crowd is trying to catch up on sleep. I remember, all too well, the lounging around until 10, on Saturdays and Sundays. Hana’s parents are more 7 o’clock risers.

I made my Saturday morning bagel shop and Farmer’s Market run, around 9 a.m. The bagels were fresh out of the oven, when I got there, but there was no Farmers Market, as the vendors stay home when it’s raining. I did, however, score a full tank of gas, at the low, low price of $3.33 per gallon. That’s down from $3.79, two weeks ago. Hey, Northeasterners, Midwesterners, Californians-come on down!

Today marks 44 years since Penny and I placed a ring on one another’s fingers. It is also the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. My father-in-law always told me that I got the better fate than the guys who stormed the beaches. I’ve been to Utah Beach, walked the sands and stood in the German machine gun nests. I definitely would say Pops was right.

Hana spent the day reveling in attention from her parents, and enjoyed pureed cabbage with oatmeal. That’s probably not something one would order in a restaurant, but my granddaughter is a chow hound, like me. The rest of us had bulgogi and rice. Hana will get pureed beef tomorrow and Monday.

I put away more photos and books, and located the last of my important documents. I will need one more shelving unit, and be set for emptying my storage bin.

Baby and family had a good day.

The Hana Chronicles, Month 5, Day 15

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

June 5, 2026- Granddaughter reveled, in eating pureed cabbage, this morning. She seems to revel in eating just about everything so far. (Zucchini being a question mark.) Hana is definitely a member of the Clean Plate Club, without being coaxed. If this persists through toddlerhood and the Fussy Eater years, so much the better.

Our day went well, with lots of independent play time in the pen, as well as Papa being in there, for the sake of reassurance and companionship. We explored a horseshoe-shaped side street, Chester Drive, which starts one block north and curves around to the east, behind our cul-de-sac. A young couple had just come back from Friday prayers, clad, head-to-toe in black. Otherwise, the street was quiet and empty. Hana didn’t mind the quietude.

As she napped, this afternoon, I read a piece about the Dutch director, Wim Wenders, who expressed regret for having depicted a certain actress in the nude, when she was only thirteen. He has removed the objectionable scenes from all versions of that film. The actress in question, now in her 60s, recently expressed how painful it has been, all these years, to have been so depicted in that film, and in two others a year, and three years, later. One hopes that the other two films may also be expunged of the tawdry scenes.

Many men, myself included for many years, gave scant thought to how it must have felt to girls and women baring all, in films, and even in glossy magazines. I knew better, by the time I was thirty, and Hana’s paternal grandmother had come into my life, along with the Baha’i teachings, which stress the dignity and worth of all human beings. Before that, there was always the double standard: A man’s (or boy’s) female relatives were held high above the world of sensuality. We respected our friends’ sisters and mothers also. There was a friend zone, which included a measure of respect, for the girls around us. Somehow, that did not extend to the world of “entertainment”.

More’s the pity. I started to take exception to the cavalier treatment of teenaged female actors, when very young girls were presented to audiences, in various states of deshabille. I did not watch any of those films, more out of shame over my past private thoughts and cavalier attitude. Then came Penny, our shared Faith and my career in education, which included the protection and guidance of girls and boys alike. There was no longer a double standard.

What this has to do with Hana is that, from Day One, her father and I are all the more committed to her well-being and development of her entire person. She is a sharp-eyed, intuitive person, making it all the more imperative for us to eschew any semblance of a double standard. Besides which, the old attitudes are just rotten for any man’s soul.

We are all so much more than eye candy.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 14

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Education, Family, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, service, Social, Striving

June 4, 2026- My granddaughter had a few comments on the singing birds and on encountering the same mother and baby we met yesterday. She was quite happy with our walk, even along the somewhat bumpy grass path that brought us closer to our house, on the way back. It was warmer today, and the sun was more direct, but Hana was shielded by both a sun visor and her stroller’s canopy. Her skin was warm when we got back, so I put infant-safe lotion on her arms, legs and neck. Sunscreen is not recommended for children under the age of two.

She likes the solid foods to which she’s been introduced so far-and that includes the broccoli that she’s had for the past three days. Tomorrow, it will be cabbage’s turn. Sitting in a high chair, for ten-minutes, has also proven easier than I had thought. She sits straight and keeps her posture-and I have a tray in place, for extra support. Sitting in the chair for more than ten minutes is probably not a good idea until she can sit up straight, without support from furniture. Still, the high chair makes feeding easier.

She misses her parents, along about the time that her body clock tells her that they should be home. That is her challenge, but she also knows that she is safe with her Papa. Their schedules will even out, starting next week, so this should be less of a problem. Her awareness is, nonetheless, very keen.

Overall, though, Hana is a bright, engaging and generally happy little girl.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 13

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, service, Social, Striving

June3,2026- My granddaughter, Han, was born on December 22, 2025. I have been keeping people I care about informed of her milestones and growth, for the past many months-and since those milestones are my central concerns, I am recasting the title of this series of posts to reflect that.

We took our first grandfather and granddaughter solo walk, this afternoon. I put her securely in her stroller, with canopy and bug net firmly in place. We then went to the grounds of the nearby, out-of-session middle school and to a section of Hoblitzelle Park that lies nearby. We saw prairie cone flowers and standing cypress flowers by the yardful. There were also introduced columbines, in a yard along the way. We encountered a mother and baby, in a similar stroller near the park bench where I stopped and enjoyed a can of mineral water. Hana was nonplussed. She was taking in the fresh air and scenery, but was not as sociable as she usually is.

Back at the house, after our walk, we watched through the window, as city workers poured concrete on a reinforcement of a section of our cul-de-sac. I decided to read her a selection from a book of “Girl Power” stories. When I went to put her in her bouncy chair, she resisted a bit, arching her back and saying “No”-but in a quiet voice. When I explained to her that this was “Girl Power” story time, she relaxed and let me secure her in her seat. The story was about Moana, the Disney character, as a teenager. She liked the tale-and the pictures.

What she enjoys most, though, about our days together, is my being with her-holding her and rocking her when it meets her need for comfort, getting on hands and knees in the play pen, reading different stories and knowing just when she needs a diaper change. When is getting tired and frustrated, Papa is there to get her to the crib or even rock her to sleep and let her sleep on my shoulder..

I can’t think of a finer way to spend a day.