Category Archives: Historical

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 17

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

July 8, 2026– “AMPA!!” My granddaughter called to me, while she was in the playpen and I was in another room. She keeps close tabs on loved ones.

These things also happened today: A spammer called me and left a voice mail: “Gary, can you hear me?” I deleted the call and the voice mail. I do not answer anyone who hides behind a number.

Aram dealt very well with a private matter that was making him nervous. He handled it himself, as I knew he could.

Hana fed herself some of the beef and spinach that could be easily picked up with her fingers. I told her I was proud of her. I, of course, fed her the rest of the meal.

We went out for our walk, before the temperature got too hot, just before her lunch. The sidewalks are being replaced at the cul-de-sac corners, so the first part of our walk involved sharing the cul-de-sac with a couple of vehicles. We had enough room to pull off to the side, until they went by. The rest of the sidewalk was open.

After her lunch, I brought Hana into the kitchen, while I fixed mine. When she saw the container of sliced watermelon, she said “watermelon!”, in a hopeful manner. I told her I’d have to ask her mother first. Yunhee said, this evening, that she thinks watermelon is too sweet for Hana right now. The girl was sitting there and more or less shrugged her shoulders.

HANA’S NOTE- So many yummy-looking things in this house. I get a few of them. Mommy says NO to sugar and salt. Those must be not good for me. I would eat them anyway, so I am glad my grownups keep me safe.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE, 1960- Grade 4 ended, with me knowing all multiplication and division tables, cold, as well as the steps for long division. Mrs. Kimball, it turned out, had been dealing with a serious health issue. She would only teach a few more years,

My second brother, Glenn, came along, right after school was out for summer. All three of us boys were in one bedroom, after he reached six month, and was in a crib. That was while I was in Grade 5. Miss Hanlon, our teacher, told us that a man and a woman working together can accomplish a lot more than two men or two women. I saw this in action, with my parents, especially once Dad went back to day shift. Miss Hanlon taught us more about kickball, which the previous two teachers had started letting us play. I was never very good in sports, but I could at least kick the ball to the outfield and catch it fairly well.

John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States. We were all proud because he was from Massachusetts and was fairly young.

Saddest of all, though, we lost our Grandma. She was the one who kept Cheryl and me feeling secure, when both of our parents had to go grocery shopping on Saturday mornings, when we lived on Central Street. She would come to visit us on Adams Avenue, taking the bus to the corner and walking up the street, always wearing a full dress. I missed her terribly.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 14

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

July 5, 2026- The fireworks were so much fun for people, the past two nights, that there were a few sets going off tonight. We just went about our business. For Hana, that meant sleeping soundly through it all.

She is focused on her sitting up, which is getting longer, with less help. She knows now to use one hand to prop herself and can stay upright for 4-5 minutes, before wanting to move on to something else-and then sitting up again.

Our focus today was an early birthday celebration for Aram, who has chosen to work on Tuesday, his actual birthday. Hana understood that it was Daddy’s special day. When I left, in mid-morning, for a Baha’i devotional, she was puzzled as to why I was leaving the house alone. I promised that I would be back in time for the family outing.

At noon, we all went to a place called BBQ Chicken, and enjoyed two varieties of said item, Hana sat patiently in her stroller, while the three of us ate. We then went to Daiso, a Japanese dry goods store and picked up a few things-among them, a rain coat for me and a body bib for Hana. I also stopped in at 85 C and bought mini pineapple cakes for Aram’s birthday celebration. It was a nice afternoon, though probably less than exciting for our girl.

HANA’S NOTE- I was confused when Papa went out alone, after my parents said we were all going somewhere. I asked Papa why he was leaving, and he said it was to a devotional, whatever that is. Anyway, he came back right at Noon, and we went for Daddy’s birthday. This is the first time I have heard the word birthday. Yesterday was “America’s” birthday. I would like t meet that lady someday. She seems pretty popular.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1957 During the second half of First Grade, Miss Lavin took us, on foot, to the Saugus Public Library. She rang her bell the whole way down Central Street. We were all guided by police officers, who stood at each intersection. It was a nice introduction to the Library and I got my first card that day.

In the summer,I was given my First Communion, a Roman Catholic sacrament. It was my first time wearing a suit and tie, also. For the next six years, I had to go to Sunday school, every week after Mass.

Second Grade started in September. Mrs. McCarrier was our teacher. She showed us subtraction and two-digit addition, plus how to tell nouns from verbs and articles. We began the SRA program, a reading enhancement tool. I did well in it, but didn’t get along with the instructor, who had no patience for students who read at a higher level. I never understood her reasoning. In October, our Principal. Mr. Lynch, told us about the launch of Sputnik, a Russian satellite, which was the first rocket launched into space, That was our first school-wide assembly.

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 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.

Restoration

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual

May 29, 2026- All that is meant to be, will withstand any efforts to obliterate it. In 1921, when ‘Abdu’l-Baha passed away, His grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, succeeded Him as Head of the Baha’i Faith, in the office of Guardian. Shoghi Effendi inherited his grandfather’s house, in Haifa, whilst his grand-uncle, who was not a follower of Baha’ullah, occupied the Mansion of Baha’ullah, in Bahji, north of Akka. That uncle, Mohammad Ali, also seized the keys to the Shrine (Burial Place) of Baha’ullah, holding them for a year, until the British administrators of Palestine took the keys back and gave them to Shoghi Effendi. This was in 1923. For six more years, his grand-uncle continued to live in the Mansion, and let it decay. By 1929, the Mansion had fallen into such a state of disrepair, that Mohammad Ali asked his grand-nephew to oversee repairs. This, Shoghi Effendi did, and he invited the British High Commissioner to inspect the renovated house and its surrounding gardens. The High Commissioner approved the repairs, and further, gave Shoghi Effendi title to the property, saying that it rightfully belonged to the Baha’i Faith, and not to apostate family members.

Today marks the 134th Anniversary of the Ascension of Baha’ullah. The Shrine of Baha’ullah, the Mansion and the magnificent gardens that surround it are cornerstones of any Baha’i Pilgrimage. They are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are open, gratis, to the public-as are the Shrines of al-Bab and of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and their equally magnificent gardens, in Haifa.

All that is meant to be, will withstand any efforts to obliterate it.

Worlds Within A World, Part V

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, impediments, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 18, 2026- Mom once said, a boy becomes a man at forty. In my case, it was more like sixty-five.

As my son left for Navy Basic Training, at Great Lakes, north of Chicago, I determined that I would set out for parts unknown. I found that I had a flat tire, so that impulse faded and I went back to the Phoenix house. Two weeks later, I packed what I needed and drove to the family house in Prescott. I spent a few days, then went back and gave away five extended cab pickup loads to Goodwill. My auto body mechanic, Bill, all 6’9″ of him, hauled the stuff away, for $300 and my rocking chair. I loaded a few more boxes with me to take to Prescott, but before I closed up the Phoenix house and drove off, the place had one last hook to sink into me: When I turned off the washing machine faucets, the cold water valve broke. I managed to get to the shutoff bib, before too much water had leaked, but there was drywall that needed replacing, as well as the valve. I bartered with my landscaper, who lived down the street and was willing to do the work: The washer and dryer, a freezer and $200 worth of tools. I left the house keys with him and drove on up to Prescott.

Prescott world (2011-25) was the longest I lived in any one town since Saugus. I would go back and forth to Phoenix, until the sale closed, in 2013, but how I recovered and where, was all on me. I took to the road, a fair number of times, going back to the East Coast at least once a year, often twice. California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest became regular haunts. I managed to re-visit every state, except Montana and North Dakota, plus several parts of Canada. The Philippines nearly became a second home, and I returned to South Korea for the wedding of Aram and Yunhee. I made it to Europe twice, visiting sixteen countries. Any one of those places could feel like home, and there were parts that did. Prescott, and Arizona, were always a delight to which to return. I devoted myself to hikes, both long and short, as well as soaking up the history of the Grand Canyon State.

Community service filled my days: Paid service in the form of substitute teaching and sweat equity, in Baha’i activities, at the Farmers Market, the Red Cross, Solid Rock’s soup kitchen, various events held by Slow Food- Prescott and a few activities of the American Legion. I paid back all the kindness that the town and surrounding area had shown us in 1992 and 2000-01. Most important, though, was that I regained the self-respect that had been bled from me, during the long period in the desert. I stood up to grifters and thugs, at least five times, during my time in Prescott, acquiring more stamina in the process.

I bid farewell to my mother, both of my in-laws and a fair number of extended family and friends, during this time. Each one gone, though, just made a place in my heart-so that it got bigger. I fell in love again, and might have even sought to re-marry, but for the birth of my beloved granddaughter. This event put an end to Prescott world and opened yet another phase. Plano world began on New Year’s Day.

The Beauty of the Lilies

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

May 10, 2026- There was a plenitude of delicious, healthful food at DiMatte’s Mediterranean Buffet, as we celebrate Yunhee’s first Mother’s Day. Hana is still a bit unready for solid food, but she was happy about us going to a large, clean and relatively quiet eatery. She likes people, but doesn’t like excessive noise or heat, which unfortunately are features of many food courts. Besides, this is the first of two special days honouring her parents. Today, and Father’s Day, next month, are on me.

Hana’s understanding of such things is, of course not certain, but probably limited to knowing that her father and I made a fuss over her mother-so she was even more affectionate than usual, towards Yunhee. It was a fine, if low key day, and my daughter-in-law got to do what she likes best, tidying up the common rooms downstairs, and making a nicer play area for her little girl.

In November, 1861, Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, to the tune of “John Brown’s Body”, as a means of lifting the spirits of those fighting for the Union cause in the American Civil War. After that conflict had ended, she was first impelled to organize the national observance of Mother’s Day, in 1867, Following the calamitous Franco-Prussian War, in 1870-71, Ms. Ward-Howe called for an international observance of Mother’s Day, in the hopes of generating a global movement of women for peace. The opening lines of the fifth verse of the anthem are intended to sanctify the giving of lives: “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,[16]
While God is marching on.” It seldom has worked out that way.

Mothers have never, in their hearts of hearts, desired to see their children slaughtered for the sake of someone else’s agenda. Patriotism mitigates the expression of anti-war sentiments, when it is understood that liberty is threatened by an aggressive enemy, but I recall my mother’s grief when I told her I was headed to Viet Nam, in 1971. I told her at the last minute, as she and my father were saying goodbye at the airport. In the ten months I was there, I handled accountable mail and helped unload bulk mail trucks, but I never faced any real danger from the Viet Cong. There were too many, including two childhood friends, who were not so lucky.

As I write this, the cover page on my laptop shows a setting Sun, still casting an amber glow in the surrounding sky and on the ocean below. I get an odd comfort from this, and feel the strength and love of my mother, my late wife and all my female friends and relatives who have passed on I feel the ongoing love of those nurturing women who are still very much alive-and who tend to the children, animals and the sick who are in their care,

In whatever capacity you nurture, I hope your Mother’s Day has brought honour and solace.

Magical Thinking

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

May 7, 2026- Hana pushes herself to reach certain places on her crawling mat, but was showing a bit of frustration at being limited to the same route, day after day. It was time for another segment, so down went the multi-modal quilt, with its alphabet, colour bar, shapes and illustrations of animals and objects. This doubled the area that she has to navigate, and she took to it right away.

My granddaughter had been acting as if she should be able to go through walls or pieces of furniture, getting frustrated at this also, so Papa has the task of gently encouraging her to turn, when confronted with a barrier. I even showed her that my almighty self can’t go through a wall, which she found amusing, while getting the point.

Many of the old stories I am reading her now, European fairy tales, present magical solutions to harrowing scenes. I choose to focus more on the character-building elements that are embedded in the tales, rather than the amazing feats of derring do. It only touches a slight level of her consciousness, of course, but I can recall, from my own toddlerhood, having a sense that I had heard stories that pointed the way to correctness, even earlier in my life. So, we go down this path together, She will retain what sticks in her mind and re-learn the rest later.

Much magical thinking comes from being used to having certain things happen almost instantaneously- like fast food being prepared and served in minutes, or AI popping up with answers to questions, in mere seconds. Another friend, examining the matter, points out that experiencing something, even several times, does not mean that it will be integrated with one’s psyche or behavioural repertoire. “I spent a week in Sweden” hardly qualifies me to claim any more than cursory knowledge of the country and its people. “I changed the spark plugs in my Ford LTD, back in 1975”, does not make me anywhere near a skilled auto mechanic. It is integration, not encountering, that determines the level of any change one wishes to see in life.

There is also a larger process at work, sometimes called “the arc of history” and in other forums, “the Major Plan of God”. We on the ground can only understand a smidgen of it, but here’s the thing: Just as a motor vehicle can go either forward or in reverse, it moves most efficiently forward. Reverse is meant only for short distances, like backing out of a parking space, or going a few yards back to where a loved one is waiting to communicate a last-minute thought. Going backwards in society can only be temporary, mostly to correct errors made in moving ahead too quickly. It cannot be done with a view towards reinstating the “Golden Days of Yesteryear”.

I will have more to say about this in an upcoming post.

Not Erasable

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

May 3, 2026- My granddaughter showed a bit of sass, this evening, telling me in babble and gesture, that she had done her business, with no difficulty, so there! This was because her mother and I had been checking her constantly for bms, all day, and she was getting tired of it.

I have no doubt that when Hana puts her mind to something, it’ll get done, to the best of her developmental ability. I will advise her to make sure her sassiness doesn’t create more problems than it solves, as time goes on. That understanding will increase, as she grows and learns what works with people and what doesn’t. She already listens to me and to her parents, about staying within the boundaries we have set for her crawling practice, and lulling herself to sleep when it’s nap time. She also has very tender heart, and already shows concern for us, if we cough or sneeze too loudly. Sass, however, is to girls what swagger is to boys, so they and I will work to help her channel it into a useful tool of self-defense.

I am not one of those who believes in extinguishing the fire within a human being. People have, to some extent or another, been encouraged, or expected to show subservience to those in positions of power. I believe in a system, as the best way to insure continuity and progress. That system however, to borrow the cliche, is one “of laws and not of men”. Human beings are never going to be perfect, and need the guardrails of codified law. The law, when growing out of the Golden Rule, will serve to channel the impulses and behaviour of human beings in a positive direction.

This brings me to the implications, in some circles, that a pecking order should be restored to our society. The problem I have with that is: Most people I have observed, over the past fifty years or so, seem to know what they’re doing, have the best interests of self and others at heart and don’t need to take a subservient role. No group is replaceable, nor is anyone erasable.

People who say otherwise are invariably looking for one of three things, in their worldview: Power, purity or convenience. Not all such people are Fascists. The naturalist John Muir looked for serenity in nature. Towards that end, he convinced himself, and others, that no one of consequence was living in the areas of Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks, when in fact, the Ahwahneechee Nation was quite established in those areas and was physically removed by the National Park Service, in the early 20th Century. There are, a sit happens, members of that Nation who still live in the area, and who have even taken employment with NPS, in order to maintain stewardship of their homeland. People cannot be erased.

Brevity and Longevity

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Entertainment, Family, Fiction, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

May 2, 2026- If I live to be 100, or longer, it may well be partly due to the things in which I invest time and energy. Certainly, being fully involved in the life of my grandchild has a part to play. So does any exercise or even resuming travel again, once Hana is of school age and her parents have earned vacation time. Diet also comes into play.

Then, there is the reading material in which I invest time. I am rediscovering classics, in my choice of what to read to Hana. I have read her “Heidi” and am currently reading her “The Red Pony”, by John Steinbeck. It’s a bit tougher than Johanna Spyri’s classic,and shows a different way of looking at life’s challenges. She will only have a slight sense of the mood of the story, so I am not concerned with its effects. I will revert more to more conventional children’s works, going forward, as her awareness grows and she actually starts asking questions. That day is coming faster than some of you may think.

My personal reading, both print books and long form Substack pieces, is also going to keep the gray matter oiled and lubed. Both media are comprised of thought=provoking pieces. I am presently reading “The Beginning Comes After The End”, by Rebecca Solnit and “The God of the Woods”, by Liz Moore. Substack sites range from “The Hungary Report” and “Life Intelligence” to “The Gut Check Guy” and “The Good Men Project”. There are a total of ten sites, not all of which show in my feed every day.

Many people opt for the fast food of journalism: Reels and clips. The problem I have with high brevity is that only part of any given story is presented. Then there is a hint, “Click to continue”, which the one time I fell for it, I was asked to subscribe to the reel’s host site-big bucks for the equivalent of a Big Mac.

Brevity has its place, but the maintenance of a well-oiled thinking machine needs a considerably higher-level investment. I may not be digging into “War and Peace” anytime soon, but long-form is a better investment of time and energy.