I am enjoying spending time with my granddaughter, Jennalise. What a delight a 2 year old is. She's just beginning to put sentences together and she is as inquisitive as her father, Jaemon, was at that age. Questions and comments about everything. She's especially into monkeys, peacocks, Mommy, Auntie Linda and Monster. She also took a great shine to Maggie when Maggie was here. The feeling was mutual and she stole Maggie's heart, I think.

 

Had a lot of fun yesterday launching my new inflatable kayack. Spent an hour paddling on the lake. Now I need to figure out how to get in and out of the damn thing when it's not on the shore. Probably should get myself a book that explains how to do that. It's also a great antidote for running, which builds up the lower body at the expense of the upper body. I notice today my legs and lower back are sore, which means I need to work on them some. Looking forward to more time at Bonnelli Lake this fall. What is it about my life that requires adventures? My sister reminds me I've been that way since I was a boy. She reminds me of how often I would take her out for a walk and get us lost! She still hesitates to travel with me!

 

Also good to spend time with my son, Jaemon. I am so proud of him! He is such a good father and provider for his family, and his wife feels like a daughter to me. It's clear both Jaemon and I think Tana is spectacular.

 

The Afghan Girl's school I helped to start may be in trouble. There's a resurgence of Taliban activity in the NWFP, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is closing it's office in Peshawer...not a good sign. If the Taliban come to power, girls education will again be taken away and the girls relegated to a position of virtual slavery to ignorance, bigotry, and prejudice. Religious fundamentalism of any kind is oppressive of human dignity. I know how most of us long for certainty, but it seems that my life has been a process of learning to live with and celebrate diversity and ambiguity.

 

In the midst of all this, I also find myself falling in love with David, a man I've known for 8 years. Our getting together feels like a miracle in my life. However our relationship develops, I find myself falling more and more in love with this gentle, loving Quaker man. Love is always a miracle when it happens, taking us outside of ourselves and making the whole world seem joyful and loving. What a blessing it is to have this man in my life. When I'm sitting next to him it feels as if I am sitting in sacred space, blessed and sanctified by love and his presence. My life seems reborn into joy these days. Seems like all of my friends who find out about this developing relationship approve, with most of them thinking it's about time I came out of my monkish shell. I've really been blessed in my life, though, to find joy in being solitary AND joy in being partnered. Though I treasure still my time alone, each day I find myself wanting to explore David's depth and spirituality (and body) more and more. It makes understanding why "the Word became flesh" has so much importance in understanding the incarnation.

 

Well, time now to go back to playing with Jennalise.