Category Archives: collaborating

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 13

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

July 4, 2026- Today is America’s 250th “birthday” as an independent country, marking the Declaration of Independence. Of course, five years of struggle ensued, before the Continental Army, with help from France and the German state of Prussia, defeated the British Armed Forces, which had their own help from the German state of Hesse.

Hana was feeling independent today, and so got everyone out of bed, fairly early this morning. It is our dry season, so the sun shines brightly very early into the east-facing windows, one of which is facing her crib. She will face her parents’ bed and call to them. Usually, on a weekend, that means time in their bed, and if she is in the mood fro crawling around, as she was this morning, there is no sleep-in. I am up by 6 or 6:30, anyway, so hearing her on the baby monitor at that hour was not difficult.

We largely spent the day at home, tending to cleaning issues. I got to Farmers Market and Saved by the Bagel, this morning. I got our watermelon, which will be enjoyed tomorrow, as sweet cantaloupe- the best I’ve had in years, was our mid-afternoon treat. We went to HMart, in the afternoon, to get the meat that Yunhee will need for the week’s meals. Aram “won” a blue dinobear for Hana, at the HMart Grip and Grab Arcade (only in Anime is there a dinosaur-bear hybrid. It is made to look cute and plush, though, so Hana took to it right away.

She has also started to stand straight up (with support), when her clothes are being changed. I get the feeling she is trying to help. She will need to convince her father of this; he wants her to lie still-though it is actually easier to put on an outfit, when standing. She is still working on sitting up, also, thus giving the impression of a child working overtime on developmental activities.

HANA’S NOTE- I don’t know much about birthdays, but my family has been talking about Daddy’s birthday being in a few days. America’s birthday is today. Who is she and why does everyone have the day off?

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE; 1956- I walked to the Felton School, for First Grade, two days after Labor Day. Mom walked me there, with Cheryl beside her, and David in a stroller. Our teacher, Miss Lavin, taught us to print our names and to spell Felton School, as well as Saugus, and several other words. She also taught us to add and subtract single digits, and built on what Mom had already taught me about reading. David surprised me one day, when I went home after school and he showed that he could walk. My reaction was-“Look out, world!”

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 12

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Posted by on in "sibling-ish", children, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Family, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 3, 2026- Hana had a good day, playing with each of us, in succession. Each of us also had to tend to separate errands and appointments. She learned, this evening, however, that I have the role of parent, as well as of grandparent. Her father was having a heat-fueled headache and needed me to take over for him during her bath. I had no trouble doing that. She then wanted him to hold her, instead of her going into the crib. After about twenty minutes, though, she was still carrying on and I had the intuition that, unless she had a physical discomfort, she would stop squalling if we all just left her in the crib, to fall asleep. We did that, and she went to sleep right away. Sometimes, self-reliance has to be nudged along.

I have received criticism, online, from two people I don’t know. One is a fairly intelligent extended family member of some friends back in Arizona. Her complaint was quite specific and had some validity, so I made a correction to my own remarks. The other, possibly a bot, was all over the place, attacking people across the political spectrum. There was nothing specific, other than he knows everything and we are all full of dung. As it was on another person’s forum, I made my own remarks-not about him-and left it alone afterward. I am always willing to learn, even hard lessons, but I have no time for nonsense or fantasy-driven abstractions.

We are preparing for tomorrow’s Independence Day festivities. Hana will be asleep before any fireworks, but for good measure, we have a pair of earmuffs. I hope to be able to see the festivities from my upstairs window, but whatever.

HANA’S NOTE- I get so tired that I want to sleep in my Daddy’s arms. Papa says that’s not fair to Daddy all the time. I guess that’s so, ’cause Papa doesn’t lie.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE- 1955 We found ourselves too cramped for space on Central Street, and my parents found a fixer-upper for sale, on Adams Avenue, in the middle of Saugus. So, it was so long, Russ, Karen and Bobby. It was a good thing we moved when we did. Brother David came along, on the day we moved. He needed the crib, so Cheryl got her own room and I got the second bedroom, looking out on the street below.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 11

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

July 2, 2026- Hana and I figured a way for her to actually enjoy beef. I tenderized the meat, more than what the food processor was doing, by heating it in a saucepan, with a little water and what was left of the cabbage. This made a mid-afternoon snack, as she was too tired to finish her lunch, and took a two-hour nap.

She is constantly on the move, inside her play pen, thus she gets tired after about ninety minutes of crawling around and doing pushups, as a means of readying herself for sitting upright. I help her to sit back, and she can keep that posture for about two minutes, without support. After her snack and 3 p.m. feeding, she went for another such round of exercise, then fell asleep in my arms, around 5:15. As soon as her parents walked in the door, home from work, she woke up and was happy to see them.

Her favourite plush toys remain Rion the Lion and Pompompurin. The little golden retriever is in the crib with her. The lion rules the play pen. She likes to lie on it, when taking a breather. Her favourite story book, at the moment is “365 Stories and Rhymes”, which has a number of g-rated fairy tales and nursery rhymes. “Four and Twenty Blackbirds”, for example, has snipped the part about the blackbird snipping off the cook’s nose. I appreciate the clean-up. Kids will experience enough hardness, soon enough in their lives.

HANA’S NOTE- I speak up for myself. When I am tired, I let Papa know it. He is good about not pushing me past my limit.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE- 1954 I made a few friends in the Lynnhurst neighbourhood. One of them liked to sneak things. I told him I would share with him if he would only ask for something. We were only three, but I already knew better. I didn’t know, though, that I was supposed to ask before just walking up to my Grandma’s, which involved crossing a street. I did look both ways before crossing, but not telling Mom where I was going, got me a hair brush to my rear end, when my uncle had to come and get me from Grandma’s.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 10

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

July 1, 2026- Hana can claim Canada as an ancestral home, along with Korea (her mother’s side); Ireland, Germany, France and the Penobscot Nation (on my side); Scotland, England, Lithuania and Romania (on Penny’s side). The Canadian ties are also on my side of the equation. My paternal grandfather’s forebears hailed from Montreal and Shediac, NB. Nana’s ancestors stopped for several years in Prince Edward Island, before heading “down the turnpike for New England, sweet New England.”-*

Canadians celebrate their National Day today. I’ve been in the country on July 1, once-years ago, in the border town of St. Stephen, NB. There, I saw a joyful parade go by, and I recall picking up a Canadian flag that had been dropped on the sidewalk, and propping it against a shop window. I’ve also been in the country on June 30, and having had to not stick around until the next day, because of the need to get to an American bank on July 1. There are all the other times that I’ve been north of the border, and had fabulous stays-in each of the ten provinces. I wish the Canadian people a grand Canada Day. It has, from my perspective, been a good year to be Canadian.

I will tell Hana lots of stories about my travels, as she gets older-and hopefully will be able to include her in a few that are yet to come. Right now, our jaunts are along neighbouring streets and Hoblitzelle Park; any place that can be accessed by a stroller. I want her to become very familiar with the neighbourhood, so that by the time she is of pre-school and kindergarten age, she will be able to find her way home, in a pinch. (The occasions when that would be necessary are likely to be few and far between, but it can’t hurt to have that knowledge.

HANA’S NOTE: I mostly fall asleep in the stroller, these days. Papa takes me out in the morning, before it gets too hot, but I still get lulled by the motion of the stroller.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE: 1952- Cheryl came to be with us. We moved to Central Street, Saugus. (1951, and ’53, are ciphers. I can’t think of anything that stood out in my life, those years.)

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 9

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

June 30, 2026- “Lion goes ‘RAH’ !” So said my granddaughter, as I lay with my head resting on her large plush “Rion the Lion”, a Japanese cartoon character. She probably remembers that from her father and I each having read to her from a book about animals. We learn these things from her, in return, each time we are in the play pen.

Looking at Hana’s eyebrows, it is noticeable that they resemble my mother’s brows. Mom left us two years ago, today. She would have gotten quite a kick out of her youngest great granddaughter, She would have called Hana “a pistol”. The little girl is quite outspoken, even “weighing in” on things to which we didn’t know she had been paying attention.

Hana has learned the sequence of eating three bites of food, then taking a sip or two from her bottle of milk. She had been fairly possessive of the bottle and wanted to drink it dry, without much of a break. This is changing, as she finds it a good aid to chewing meat or rice. Tonight’s mini-meal was peanut butter (unsalted and creamy). She took to it, using a spoon. It was not as messy as the yogurt, but she did need to be cleaned up afterward.

HANA’S NOTE- I get cranky towards the end of the day, when I expect Mommy and Daddy to come home. If you read this, Papa, know that it’s nothing against you. I need all three of you.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE- 1950: Coming out backwards (almost); Uncle Jim landing at Incheon. Upstairs in the Gooch Street apartment.

The Hana Chronicles, Month 6, Day 6

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

June 27, 2026- Hana had two kinds of fruit today. At lunch, she sat with us and ate a few bites of apple. At dinner, she ate a bit more pear. She now sits in her high chair, for both meals, She tried sipping water through a straw, but needs a bit more diaphragmic power, yet. That doesn’t stop her from trying, so we will keep going on that front, day by day.

She made a visit to Whole Foods, with her parents, and was reportedly delightfully fascinated by all the sights and sounds-“well-behaved”, in her father’s words. What else could a six-month-old be, I wonder? Everything is new and exciting. Hana is taking it all in.

She also can “explain” things that she observes. When her Dad experienced a minor mishap, in the kitchen, this Noon, my granddaughter said “Daddy hurt” and tapped her hand, to show that was where he was hurt.

While the family was at Whole Foods, I went to the storage unit and retrieved five boxes and a few bags. I am making a definite dent in that unit and should have everything in the house or donated to Goodwill, by the middle of July.

My prayers go to Venezuela, where the situation remains horrible, following the two earthquakes near La Guaira, in the north of the country. So many families have members who are dead, or are buried under concrete. I am also watching three fires in northern Arizona, two between Flagstaff and Grand forward, Tuesday is the thirteenth anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire, which led to the deaths of 19 wildland firefighters. The threat is never far away.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 5

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

June 26, 2026- Hana “enjoyed” a banana, this evening. She ate a few bites, then played with the rest. Her jumper, and the tray to her high chair, were covered in banana art. This was conveyed to me by her mother, who thought a banana would be a treat for her. It was-just not especially as a food, at least for now.

Earlier, I found that Hana was having trouble chewing the semi-pureed beef that was left for her lunch. Yunhee got off work early, and so fed her by alternating meat with milk. I wondered aloud if that worked. My granddaughter looked me full in the face and shouted : “HO!” I took that, and her expression, to mean “Of course, Papa. Don’t you know anything?” I guess I know now-as with so many people, Hana likes to alternate solid food with a sip of liquid.

Hana has a robust sense of humour. She even laughs if she breaks wind, which is thankfully not a frequent occurrence and never very loud. It amuses her, though. Her laugh is infectious.

Our six-month-old got a clean bill of health from her pediatrician, this afternoon, and she is well within normal range, in her vital signs. Team Hana is doing things right.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 3

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 24, 2026- “I love” is the sweetest phrase, especially coming from a six-month old. I don’t expect my granddaughter to speak, but she does so and from her heart. Many times, Hana us repeating what she has heard us say, over and over. Sometimes, as with the comment, two days ago, about the beef, she speaks as her brain has told her, perhaps from having heard others speak, here and there. Her words of love, though, are definitely a reflection of how each of us feels about her. When she said it, this afternoon, it made my day.

I have a new role in my Faith community: Moderating consultation during our Sector’s (neighbourhood group’s) Spiritual Feasts. Tonight was my first time doing this, and I felt it crucial to ask for people to translate from English to Persian, at several points, as 98% of the group is Persian-speaking, and not all of these folks are fluent in English. It is Baha’i practice to provide believers with translation into their preferred language, and not to demand that they learn English for the convenience of native speakers of English. People should learn a language for their own progress or convenience, not for that of others.

Hana is being raised speaking English and Korean. I am also introducing numbers and a few key phrases in French and Spanish also. I have heard her speak English, here and there. She probably speaks a few Korean words to her mother. One needs to listen carefully, though, to the soft, high-pitched voice. As I said earlier, her words tend to come from the heart.

There is much to be learned from a little one, though, in discerning what matters most.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 30

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

June 20, 2026-

The play pen doubled in size, this afternoon, an advance gift to Hana as she reaches six months. Her mom and dad worked hard on this, and she appreciated it on a certain level. She will have a lot more room to exercise and is very close to being able to sit up. without assistance. That would be a fine gift to Aram, for his first Father’s Day.

She has also resumed sleeping on her back, which will be more restful for her spine. It could be her body’s cue for both sitting and trying to stand up, but we’ll see. Solstice energy may also be coming into play here.

My day was fairly quiet- a trip to Farmer’s Market and over to Staples, for photocopying in advance of my hosting of a devotional tomorrow. We looked at our two trees in front. One of them will at least need to be trimmed. The days of yours truly going up on a 12-foot ladder, saw in hand, are most likely over- if only for son’s peace of mind. We will hire a tree specialist.

As we took a brief stroll, this evening, the strains of South Asian music-either Indian or Pakistani, could be heard coming from the ramada at Hoblitzelle Park. This bodes well for the summer nights ahead. We could go over and sit for a while, as Hana gets older. For now, though, it’s bedtime at 7 or 7:30.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 5, Day 29

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

June 19.2026- Juneteenth, and the skies were raging! We awoke to heavy thunder and lightning, with about 3″ of rain falling, during the course of the morning. Aram went into work, driving carefully, on roads that were not yet waterlogged. The flash flood watch came a little later.but we were happily inside, until the rain stopped. There was no walk for Hana today, though. The stroller does not need to be pushed through mud, which usually runs onto sidewalks and gullies that form on the inside lanes of surface streets.

It goes without saying, that I will encourage Hana to resist any unlawful authority. I will tell her to respect and obey her parents, teachers and police. I will tell her that anyone who disrespects her person has not earned her respect. I will tell her that there is a system for reporting unprofessional behaviour by those who are vested with authority, and that her parents and I will be the first people to whom she should report such things.

This is the legacy of Juneteenth, that no one need consent to slavery under another human being-or group of humans. This is so, no matter the economic, political or social status of the would-be enslaver. Not all enslavement is plantation-based, as we see from the Epstein files and other accounts of human trafficking. No one deserves to be under another person’s thumb, no matter the initial enticement.

My granddaughter will know this, from the time she can walk.