A Brother

Lets you plan their whole weekends.
Meets all your friends, loves them all, and helps you love them better.
Analyzes concepts and interactions to exhaustion, and then comes back to it for more.
Knows what you find important.
Puts up with everything they know about you, and then some.
Doesn't mind the current living situation.
Understands why you think a certain way, even when he disagrees with you.
Sees where you're going and knows why you're staying.
Tells you you're better at things when he knows he is.
Carries the conversation when you can't ... or won't.
Makes you think you're smarter even when he is.


Makes sure the important messages from your sister come through, even when the MMS messages fail to come across the phone network (Jen, resend it, I want to see it, it's HUGE NEWS!)

I love you, Audree. Thanks for coming and learning about my little paradise in New England.

No Peer Pressure

My Grandfather, whom we affectionately call Lolo as a term of endearment, turned 100 on November 2 this year.

I flew back to California to see him on the weekend of his birth and he is still as spry and active as before. The grandkids, coming from as far away as New England (yes, that would be me) and Tennessee (Eileen and her family), each gave a short blurb about the wonderful memories we have of growing up here with him after he came over in the early 80's.

We recalled countless memories of generosity and, little known to him, his environmental awareness (he collected and recycled aluminum can's like crazy, then divvied up the money amongst us. His excitement and encouragement for our adventures growing up and his persistent concern for how we are doing. Though he has difficuly hearing, he still enjoys when any one of us come over, and especially when we share scripture with him. He has his own Bible in Tagolog (the official filipino language) and we can easily match it with the KJV text because of the book, chapter, and verse.

It was a busy weekend jaunt to California, and then back again early that week to prepare for winter. That's another post.