September 11, 2026- Hana has no idea about the events of 25 years ago. Her parents were in Middle School, back then, I was making an effort to become fully employed. Her paternal grandmother was fully employed, and made a a concerted effort to explain the events to her Second Graders, before all were dismissed early.

I hope, against hope, that my granddaughter will not have to endure anything like what thousands of people experienced, on that turbulent day. She has had a safe and stable life, thus far. While I want to see her face challenges, and develop strengths, I also want these to be of her own choosing.

Hana has been more vocal and a bit feistier today, than heretofore. While I was feeding her oatmeal, this morning, she engaged me, just a bit, in a game of “keep away”, with her spoon. I pretended to be shocked and covered my eyes for a few seconds, then “pop”, I gently took the spoon back. This evening, while I was putting her high chair straps in place, she took one of the straps and began babbling about how she wanted it put over her shoulder, just so. I followed the “instructions”, to her delight.

HANA’S NOTE- I am almost ready to say words in Papa’s and Daddy’s language. I am also almost ready to start walking. Today, I scooted halfway around the play pen.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2025 This was another year of almost constant motion. I made it back to the Philippines, in February, and was actively contemplating moving there. I knew there was no guarantee that Kathy and I would be together in marriage, but I wanted to make the effort. Besides, the country and its people had made me that much more a part of a larger community.

I hosted a couple from Metro Manila, for a week or so, in April, taking in the South Rim of Grand Canyon, Seligman, Williams, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Verde Valley and Desert Rose Baha’i School, as well as Prescott. They got to experience the Farmers Market, Bearizona, Sno Cap, Bell Rock and Montezuma Well. I became more familiar with the Filipino communities in Las Vegas, where I met up with Babo and Thelma, and Phoenix, where I left them off.

For much of the year, I focused on acts of service. taking on a remote administrative position with the Red Cross, particularly focusing on the disastrous wildfire that destroyed the complex at the North Rim of Grand Canyon. I kept on with volunteering at Prescott Farmers Market and appeared at some Slow Food events as well. Social gatherings at the American Legion Post remained important.

In May, I drove back to the East Coast, with stops in Kansas, Wilmette, Mishawaka and northern Pennysylvania, before,visiting my parents’ and youngest brother’s graves, in Saugus,. I took in Mystery Hill, “America’s Stonehenge, in Salem, NH. The return included stops in Downingtown and Oley, in Harrisonburg and in Crossville. Grapevine was a weekend visit, and the question came forth. A baby was coming, in December. Would I be willing to move into a house that Aram and Yunhee planned to buy, for the sake of the child? In a few short minutes, my plans regarding the Philippines were, at the very least, put on hold. I had dreamed of a granddaughter, and this child was going to become a reality. Kathy, and other Baha’i friends, see this as a confirmation of my worth, not as a disappointment over the change in plans.

In 2014, I spent about a month in western Europe. For several years, I had promised myself and others that I would return to Europe and expand upon the earlier itinerary. This year, I was able to spend six weeks, spending quality time in eleven countries and transiting through three others. Iceland was the first stop, for four days in Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula. Sweden was next, with Stockholm, Gotland, and Nynashamn (the home of a delightful young family, who are my friends of several years) filling my days. In Denmark, the magical city of Helsingor, Copenhagen and Arhus won my heart. Germany focused on Berlin, Heidelberg and Frankfurt-am-Main. Austria, with sweet days in Vienna and Salzburg, was the midpoint of the journey. Poland presented the heritage of Krakow and the dark legacy of Auschwitz, with the town of Oswiecim as its gentle counterpoint. Croatia showcased bustling Zagreb and lively Split, where I met up with another online friend. Bosnia & Hercegovina presented the joy of Old Town Sarajevo and the grim heritage of Srebrenica, I transited through Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia, getting a brief taste of those beautiful countries. I returned to France, focusing on opposite ends of one of my ancestral homelands-Strasbourg and Metz, in the east; Le Havre and Dieppe, in the west, with a bus rid across Paris as the link. England was a revelation, at Portsmouth and Salisbury, the latter with its magnificent cathedral. Wales gave me a chance to connect with another online friend-at Fishguard. In Ireland, another ancestral homeland, I passed through Wexford, from where my maternal forbears are believed to have left for Germany, in the days of the Hanseatic League. I spent three days in Dublin, taking in the heritage of the waves of Celts, Vikings and English who built that grand city. Scotland, and a visit with another online friend, plus two happy days in Edinburgh, capped the journey. I was able to connect, albeit fleetingly, with Baha’is in Iceland, Germany, Austria and Ireland, the last being for the Twin Birthdays of al-Bab and Baha’u’llah.

Once back in Prescott, a scant month separated time in Europe from an increased focus on my Texas family. I spent Thanksgiving, and my 75th birthday in Grapevine with Aram, Yunhee and soon-to-be born Hana. Christmas brought me back there, and the last several days of the year were focused on wrapping up thirty-four years of Arizona living. On December 30, with the Pensky moving van loaded and my apartment clean, I bid farewell to one Home Base, and headed towards another: Prescott to Plano.

One lifestyle drew to a close, and another began; but I’m still a Sagittarian Seeker.