Category Archives: children

Baby Planks

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

March 13, 2026- Hana held her head up, while prone, for over three minutes, this evening. She has been working very hard at this prerequisite to crawling and has been frustrated with herself, up to now. Each time, we have told her that we are proud of her for trying and to not give up. She is internalizing our encouragement, smiling each time we offer it. Tonight was a big advance for her.This skill is, roughly speaking, the infant’s equivalent of a plank, which of course is an adult holding self up on elbows and extended toes, for 1-3 minutes. Babies are hardwired to want to develop mobility skills, just as they want to build language skills.

Speaking of which, Hana is making clearly thought out sounds, in a sentence-like cadence, and is happy when we maintain eye contact, while she is speaking. We generally get a sense of what she is saying, by reading her facial expression and deciphering her tone of voice. A soft voice indicates she is happy or peaceful. A serious tone means she needs cleaning or that she is getting tired. A loud tone means she is frustrated or feels ignored. This last will be followed by crying, if we don’t pick up on it right away.

She is also paying close attention to what her mother needs her to do. When bathing, for example, when Yunhee goes to wash under Hana’s arms, the baby lifts her arms straight up. When she goes to change Hana into night clothes, the child will take her own arms out of the day outfit’s sleeves. She is also very much into cleanliness and neatness. This seems in keeping with what has been noticed about Capricorns, (Hana was born on the December Solstice).

Early development of physical skills could be followed by backsliding, if we make too much of the matter and up the ante. That said, we are proud of what our girl is doing, at just under three months of age.

Balloon Game

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

March 12, 2026- Spending time with an infant is not just feeding, changing diapers and being close by while the baby sleeps. There are developmental skills to be nurtured and a bond to be established.

Hana likes a new game, where two differently coloured balloons on strings are tied loosely to her ankles. Each balloon is anchored by a magnetic clothespin. As she lies on her back, she can make the balloons bob up and down, by the kicking motion that comes naturally to a newborn. She is fascinated by the movement of the balloons and by the fact that she has control over how high or low they go. She is also showing coordination between her two legs. To her, though, the best part is looking over and seeing that either her mother or I is lying by her side on the mat, enjoying the activity as much as as she is. Having her face light up is worth everything.

She is also fascinated by lights, staring at the chandelier or at the “on”light of a humidifier. Tree branches waving in the breeze draw her attention as well. This little girl knows no boredom, and I hope it long stays that way.

Each of us needs a balloon game, to develop skill and keep us occupied for a reasonable period of time.Each of us also needs to know that someone recognizes what we’re doing, and hopefully shares in the joy we feel while doing it.

No Fakery

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

March 10, 2026- The grainy images float across the computer screen, showing clearly spliced images of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and some of the other principals-victims and perpetrators alike. It is a faked video.

I am no fan of any of the people named in the released documents-be they Republican, Democratic or members of the Galactic Goo Party. In my book, if you hurt another human being, especially for your own satisfaction, the full force of the law should be yours to face. That goes double for those who hurt minor children.

That said, I question whether the released video is even from Iran. The images remind me of the hokey porno films that some of my friends showed, on thankfully rare occasions, back in the late 1960s. I was not impressed then, and I am sickened now. Who, exactly, put this thing out is quite debatable.It is plausible that it was put together in a western Asian locale (I refuse to call the region “The Middle East”. That is an old school, colonialist term.) It could also very well be just another double reverse attempt by the guilty to obfuscate and distract.

Regardless, I hope those who have come this far, in pushing towards justice for the victims of Epstein & Company, are neither distracted or fooled by today’s “video release”. Stick to perusing the documented evidence!

Small Havoc

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

March 7, 2026- A heavy rain fell, and there was a fair amount of thunder and lightning, into the mid-morning hours. A branch of one of our trees is partially severed from the main trunk and is now partially covering our front sidewalk. That gives me something to work on tomorrow, when the weather is expected to be nicer. My goal is to at least clear the sidewalk. Working from the outermost edge towards the thick part of the branch, I should be able to get a fair amount of the debris cleared and hauled back to the alley. The larger part of the branch will take a bit longer to clear. Son won’t be back for another two weeks, so I will carefully get what I can done rather than leaving it all for him.

There was a warning of possible tornadoes last night, but none materialized this far south. Our safe zone is a windowless bathroom on the first floor. Strangely, there is no community shelter, but there are plenty of “tornado shelter companies” willing to sell shelters to individual families. I guess the idea that this is an individual endeavour strikes me as odd. The only times that I have been near a tornado, in Missouri and in Ohio, there was an active effort at getting people together in community shelters. Fortunately, we were spared, this time. My condolences to those people in eastern Oklahoma and southeast Michigan who were not so fortunate.

Every part of the world has its drawbacks, either in terms of natural phenomena or of being in the crosshairs of some conflict. There are always innocent victims, in any event. My job now is making sure that my granddaughter isn’t one of them. Not everyone thinks I have her best interests at heart. I guess they will just have to find out. Suffice it to say that no one will hurt her, as long as I am of sound mind and body.

First Laugh

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

March 6, 2026- Hana laughed just before her mother and I had lunch, this noon. It marked the first time either of us had witnessed her chuckling. She is very happy, when we bring her to the bouncy chair at our mealtimes. The sense of being included has already been integrated in her 2 1/2 month old mind. It is a tradition of sorts- Penny and I always had Aram with us at breakfast and dinner. (I didn’t always get back for lunch, but when I did, he was with us then, also.) I initiated having her at table for dinner, and her parents were quick to affirm.

She chuckled periodically, throughout the day-and as I fed her a nightcap bottle, she was thinking about something funny and let the amusement process, laughing quietly before starting to take her nourishment. As the days roll by and she has more experiences in her memory, I fully expect she will find something to joyfully recall. When she develops language, I’m sure she will share them with us.

Dineh people have a tradition, where the first person to make a baby laugh gets to throw a laughing party for the family. I did so once, for a little boy who is now 39 years of age. In Korean tradition, a baby is honoured on the 100th day after birth. Aram, as we were living in Jeju, Korea in the days of his babyhood, was given a 100 Day Party and wore a hanbok, the garb of a baby on the hundredth day. He was also given a tiny ring, which we probably still have in the jewelry box.

Hana will have a hundredth day party. We will also honour her laughter, as well as any other milestones she passes before then. She is likely to have several things to “say” about this. Her cooing and babbling are quite frequent now. We engage her in conversation, to encourage these.

Fifteen Years

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Family, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 5, 2026- It was a mild, crisp Saturday morning, when I got the call that I had been expecting, since having woken to a heavy presence in the bedroom that Penny and I had shared for nearly twenty-nine years. I was told that I didn’t have long to get to the Hospice, if I wanted to “exercise the option” of being with her when she passed. I had not taken the spare room that the Hospice provided to those who were expecting a loved one’s imminent passing. because we lived thirty minutes away and a gentleman from Nashville was present, waiting for his mother’s demise.-

This was a case of trusting the Universe to arrange everything nicely. As it happened, the entrance ramp that would have gotten Aram and me there on time, was blocked. The detour added an extra ten minutes to our drive and we arrived, on a still morning, to be greeted by a slow spiral of leaves and dust, swirling near the door. Three minutes had gone by since Penny’s departure, so quiet that the nurse, who had checked her ten minutes earlier, was taken aback. Still warm to the touch, eyes still open, I know that my beloved would have preferred to wait, but it was not to be.

My task, in the years that have gone by, has been to make a concerted effort to live a far better life. It took a few more years, after that day, to vanquish my demons and accomplish most of what we had planned to do together. Here I sit in a comfortable open office, in our family’s home, looking at our infant granddaughter, via a monitor. She is asleep in her crib, with plenty of room, on a soft but firm pad. Helping to raise her will be my lasting gift to the wife who sacrificed everything to help me turn my life around.

It’s been a long process, but I really think I’m there, at long last.

The Last Income Tax

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 4, 2026- I filed my 2025 Tax Returns this evening. Both Federal and Arizona (for the last time) income tax information was reported. At the end, I realized that I am truly retired. I may not have any income to report, come next February or March. My responsibilities have shifted to family (my grandchild) and occasional community service, until such time as said granddaughter (and any sibling she might have) has reached school age.

As my chiropractor reminds me, this does not reflect on my remaining longevity. If anything, the need of the child(ren) to have a healthy, clear-headed grandparent nearby is a mandate to keep on with my diet and exercise regimen. An active lifestyle is taking time to re-build here, and is a bit different in an urban, prairie environment, as opposed to the high desert and mountains of central Arizona. It will happen, though.

I have to thank Arizona’s schools for all the day-to-day skills that will come in handy, in any support role that I have in Hana’s education. It has actually already started, with portions of each day devoted to building her physical and sensory skills. She likes to practice standing, and can hold her head up fro about a minute, while on her belly. I realize this is a bit ahead of most people’s developmental schedules. Hana is not most people, though, and is already propelling herself towards objects that catch her interest. Here parents and I will not push her to do more than she is already inclined to do.

I don’t think we’ll have to.

Proactive

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

March 3, 2026- There was a time when I procrastinated, and sloppily put things together at the last minute. I was in eighth grade. and found myself getting further behind, even failing in the “New Math”, which was en vogue at the time. I got myself together, just a bit, and managed to raise my grades to acceptable levels. Grade 9 saw a repeat of the process, with me telling self that four of my six teachers were incompetent. They were, but I didn’t help matters any. Things got better for the last three years of high school. I did well, even in the one class that had an incompetent instructor. The first year of college, or should I say first semester, was a wash. I had not integrated the work habits that a successful run demands.

In the military, I found that the only way to survive in anything is to carefully plan things out. That snapped the losing streak and taught me proactivity. As time has gone on, being proactive has made all the difference between sink and swim. Everything from arranging travel to carefully meeting the needs of my grandchild has to be planned out and have my full attention. This all sounds quite run-of-the-mill, but the fact is that many people talk about and idealize achieving success. Unless the concept of proactivity is integrated, however, old bad habits die hard, and will resurface.

There are three things on my calendar for this week. The first was to take Aram to the airport, for a business trip. That had to be carefully planned out, so that all aspects of the drive, and who does what around the house, in his absence, were understood and integrated into daily schedules. Next is getting my tax return done. Although that is set for tomorrow evening, all the documents were photocopied in advance and the list gone over again, to make sure nothing is left out. The third thing is voting. I went over and cast my vote in one of the primaries, this afternoon. Being a recent registrant, I found that my name had not made it to the rolls, and that therefore, I have to have my provisional ballot “cured”, at the County Elections Office. That, too, could be done tomorrow-or Thursday.

I used to not be present for a lot of what went on in my life. I like it much better, being proactive and attentive.

Head Held High

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

March 1, 2026- Hana has developed enough upper body strength to hold her head up, while prone, for several minutes. It will not be long before she can also scoot herself forward, without help. Crawling will come after that. She is able to track the movement of her caregiver and will respond to her name, often by raising her little hand. On top of that, she has started singing little cooed tunes that are in her head.

The biggest contribution I want to make to her life is to ensure that she holds her head high, regardless of circumstances. I am already telling her this, knowing that it will take some time for much of what I say, to register. Still, a lot of what is said to pre-lingual children can register and be used by them later in life. She certainly seems to be storing a lot of information already.

It is my belief that much of the trauma that children experience can be mitigated by a solid first six months following birth. During the newborn phase, many physical and communication skills are initiated. How confident a child becomes, depends on the balance between being comforted in actual times of distress and over-protection, when the child can calm self if given a few minutes to think and reflect, knowing that a loving presence is near, should it all be too much to process.

Hana is getting there, because one or more of us are paying close enough attention to know when she has hit a major bump in the road or just needs a bit of breathing room.

The 28th Amendment

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

February 26, 2026- I have been asked to copy and paste a pass-around from a friend on social media. As a rule, I do not do copy and paste, no matter how important it may be to someone. This is for security reasons. The content of the pass-around, though, addresses an issue that has been important to me for a long time. Below, is the content of a proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

“1.The Congressional Reform Act of 2017 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they’re out of office. And, no more perks go with them.

2. Congress (past, present, & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress must purchase their own retirement plan, just as ALL Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people (i.e. NO MORE INSIDER TRADING!!!).

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts by and for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor and privilege, NOT a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators should serve their term(s), then go home and go back to work … not get all kinds of freebies.”

This has been proposed before. I can remember hearing an otherwise estimable member of the Unites States Senate, who is now deceased, complain that, under the proposal, he would have to give up his second and third residences. My response at the time: “I know several people who can barely put food on the table for their two children, and struggle to make rent and pay for utilities- in their two-bedroom apartment!”

Let’s get serious about the matter this time around. I was asked to send this to twenty people on Facebook. Well, this is going on that platform-and on Substack. It might even make it to LinkedIn. Far more than twenty should therefore see it.

In other news, Hana lifted her head today and crawled about two inches. That’s something worth cheering. She also has figured out how to amuse herself by making the bouncy chair go up and down.