Tag Archives: speech

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 20

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

September 10,2026- My mother would have been 98, today. Aram said, this evening that he sees something of her in Hana. I definitely have seen the same for quite some time. It’s in the intensity of her gaze.

Hana has been quite effervescent, all day. When I turned on the lights in the dining room, this morning, her word was “Light”. She has been in a fun-loving mood, crawling on me and giving me hugs, She has also been very busy standing, a couple of times hands-free, and has been practicing walking, in the playpen, with my help. Daytime naps in the crib have been rather short, but today, when Yunhee came back from an errand, just as I had Hana ready to sleep, the little girl greeted her mother happily, then let Yunhee put her in the crib. She slept for nearly two hours. The top lateral incisors continue to poke through, a bit at a time,

HANA’S NOTE- I was just glad that my Papa was with me for much of the day, even though Mommy is also home.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2024- This was the year that my mother said goodbye- right in the midpoint of it all, June 30. She had lived an astonishing life, and was the last of nine siblings. She had the most profound influence of anyone on my life. I will be ever grateful to have been there for her, at the end of hers.

I was at her side three times, once in mid-Spring, en route to Newfoundland and once on the way back to Arizona. The third time, which had me sitting with her constantly, over a three-day period, came at end of watch. She would shake her head, at all my travels, over the years, but the last five days of her earthly life saw me travel solely between Bedford and Lynnfield. Ditto for the days up until her interment. Aram joined me for the time leading up to the funeral, and Independence Day, which followed.

The year was otherwise one of constant motion: San Diego and Orange County in February; Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, plus St. Pierre, by way of my usual route, in April and May; homage also paid to Emmett Till and to Fannie Lou Hamer, on the way back to Prescott; flying back to Mother’s side in late June and seeing her off on her timeless journey; northward to Vancouver Island and B.C’s Sunshine Coast, in July; the Philippines, including Baguio, Palawan and Dumaguete, in late September and much of October. My time with a lady I still very much treasure was the finest part of that last journey.

I ended the year pondering whether my Home Base would change, either to Texas or to Metro Manila. The answer would come within a year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 3

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Community, Education, Family, Historical, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 24, 2026- Hana is now trying to stand, just momentarily, without holding onto the bar, whilst in the play pen. She managed for a split second, then reached and grabbed the bar, to steady herself. Most of her practice involves holding onto the bar, though more and more, she is using her right hand only to steady herself, whilst upright.

She has her mother largely to herself this week, and maybe next, as Yunhee transitions into a another position. So, I used the time to empty my storage unit and clean out a few boxes, once I had everything upstairs. Gradually, the mess that I once let sprawl out in my apartment will be sent to a new life somewhere else or will be recycled.

Hana talked almost constantly, much of the day. She called out to her mother: “Oma!” or to me: “Papa!”, Her father was called, also, almost as soon as he walked in the door, this evening: “Daddy!” She seems to be telling us how important her practicing is. We all agree.

HANA’S NOTE- I have a lot on my mind, so I have to share it.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-2007 Even with Penny being wheelchair bound, we still made it across country to several of the family weddings. We went to our eldest niece’s wedding, in New Hampshire, last Fall. This summer, with a Graduate School “Virtual Field Trip” project woven into the itinerary, we attended our eldest nephew’s wedding, in the Atlanta area. The ceremonies were both lofely, though I admit that I was a bit worn down from caring for Penny.

We had flown to/from New Hampshire, last year. This time, we flew to Atlanta and rented a car to drive along the East Coast, after the wedding. Our stops, mainly for taking footage to be included in Penny’s project, were: Savannah; Hilton Head Island (where we were nearly flooded out of our motel room); Charleston (SC); Wilmington (NC); Fredericksburg and Mount Vernon (VA); Washington, DC (where we took in part of the National Mall, before being sheltered in the White House Visitor Center, with 100 other travelers, due to the heavy rain); King of Prussia (PA) and the Old City of Philadelphia; a pit stop, each way, at the Fellmans’, in Bedminster,(NJ); and the North Shore (MA), where we were treated to a 25th Anniversary seafood dinner, at Woodman’s, in Esssex, courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law (Glenn and Barbie).

All the way, Penny’s rickety wheelchair hung in there, with emergency repairs done by our brother-in-law, Buck, in New Jersey. We stopped in Greensboro, NC, on the way back to Atlanta, then drove through the rain to a motel near the Georgia capital, the next day. We were nearly hit by a student driver, but I managed to see her swerving and moved to the next lane. She was in tears, mouthing “I’m sorry”, as I passed her a mile or so further. I was no prize, at that age, so I just smiled and kept on. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and headed back to Phoenix, rickety wheelchair and all.

Fall and winter were more WIS, International and substituting at both Glendale Union and Dysart, while Penny plugged away at her third Masters and volunteered with a campus environmental group. She also dabbled in the Melaleuca Company, a nutritional supplement firm, based in Idaho, and got me involved with Ameriplan USA, a multilevel marketing company. I stuck with that for a couple of years, then distanced myself-the majority of the people involved were rather difficult to be around. We volunteered a bit with Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childhelp USA, an abuse and neglect prevention organization. Penny was able to get a motorized scooter, in mid-September, which made things a lot easier. I had the Saturn outfitted with a retractable platform,which secured the scooter.

Slowly, though, we were moving towards a time of reckoning.

Blue Streak

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

March 16, 2026- My work as Hana’s weekday caretaker started today, sort of. Her mother’s return to work saw a light workload, so Yunhee was around for much of the day, With new items that she had bought, I was able to devise a new activity for Hana to practice. The inflatable seat gives her a soft, but firm, place to sit upright, for a few minutes at a time, It is close enough to a wooden rack, from which some plastic rings are hung, that she can reach and grab the rings-one at a time, and hold onto them for two-three minutes. This adds to the short activity of lifting her head up and looking straight ahead, also for a few minutes, in anticipation of learning to crawl. She also enjoys the manipulation of the balloons, using her legs.

A side effect of these is that, as I am talking to her during the activities, Hana is picking up words here and there: “Wow”, “Yay”, and a clear form of “This is fun” (which she hears on a Sesame Street audio toy). Without teeth, her speech is mostly babbling, but a keen ear can pick up one-syllable words. She is “talking” almost constantly now, so I will not be surprised if her actual speech surfaces early. Penny was a gabber; so was my father. Aram can be loquacious, also.

She is also quite assertive about expressing her needs-with the customary loud crying one expects from an infant, as well as facial expressions-and certain babbles made with eye contact. This, too, presages early command of communication skills. We pay attention to her, so the assertiveness is being reinforced. The activities I mentioned above are done in short increments, three times a day, which I think will reinforce her learning. I look forward to each day, whether she holds her own, advances further or needs to slip back a bit. All in all, I notice that Hana is already motivated to learn. She will go at her own pace, without pressure from us.

The Thick Accent

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Posted by on in impediments, Poetry, Social, Striving

September 2, 2016, Prescott-

(A brief thought, on a sultry night, in which I am lying low.)

You cannot understand, why I take up for men in blue.

Do  you not see, that the worst among them represent what will happen,

should the best among them feel abandoned.

You say, “But you don’t understand, that WE don’t understand

their tendency to rush to judgment, and juryhood.

The police speak a language that is indecipherable, in these parts.

This is a language of both words and gestures, often simultaneous with one another.

Their speech and body language, are hard to understand.”

Hmm.  I see the problem of dealing with snap decisions.

The police officer weighs in on the young men gathered up ahead.

“I think I’ll need backup- and have a bus ready.

You never know what tricks some of THEM may have up their sleeves,” he opines,

as the air feels thick with words and gestures, from one and foreign to the other.

I, the translator and peacemaker, get weary- as well as wary.