BUILDING

One of the older buildings in town burned not long ago. Within a day or so, the building was boarded up, and the owners of the shops were already busy re-building and renovating. In a funny little twist, Tom showed me a quirky little sight at the side of the house, and the sight of this little honeysuckle vine climbing up a wire lead me to think about how much our family loves to build! Kevin and Debbie are building children's books about animal care; Mark and Jennifer build and decorate houses; DeAnne designs sets for plays; Tobin cooks scrumptuous goodies; Darla, information/computer systems; Susan, book blogs and adoption websites; Steve restores cars; Ben builds furniture and Marie,recipes, organizational ideas and blogs. Tom is restoring a huge 1801 church pulpit for his employer; Nicole sells her own concoctions of salves and herbs. Dad is back to working on the rock wall, and I'm building a quilt for Heather. We love to build, and I hope that 99% of what we love to build is our own character, patience, and a sense of the service our building can bring to others.

This summer has been, once again, about family, and we're so pleased that between Dad and me we've seen every member of the family except Tom. Last night I sat downstairs, listening to Wyatt and Kahlil playing in the bathtub, and could hear the echo of 35+ years of kids, grandkids, and great grandkids laughing and splashing in that old tub. Have I remembered to use the word blessed in this blog yet?

All is well here. Yesterday we were strolling around in Craft Warehouse, and I pointed out all the art supplies on display and said, "I think for your winter project, you should do some painting." I had heard that in his younger years, Dad did some excellent sketching and painting, but he's never done any since. He looked incredulous!! Sit down?? Vegetate in front of an easel?? How could I suggest such a thing?? He has too many remodeling projects in mind for any of that kind of nonsense!! I have begun to think about Christmas and Christmas gifts...It's so powerful and empowering to have projects in mind to dream about and DO.

Wishing all of you some enjoyment through these dog days of summer and hoping that we're all building SOMETHING. Let's see--where did I put my quilting needles??

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision."
- Helen Keller

I'm Back

It was difficult to leave Guam, but it was time to give Marie to adjust to what she calls her reality, and for me to get back to mine!! I enjoyed being on a tropical island and took a quick shot of the lush green park around Marie's house.
My flight from Guam to Tokyo proved to be an interesting one!! In spite of all that puny man has created, Mother Nature always does him one or two better! We passed through the edge of a solar eclipse. The view out one side of the plane was total blackness; outside the other it was light. We all oohed and ahhed. I finished reading a book Marie had loaned me--Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows. I have to confess that I enjoyed it.





I spent an hour in the Tokyo Airport. I enjoyed this display of origami warriors in a shop which specialized in all sorts of origami. Fascinating. As I waited for my flight, I was almost horrified to see over 100 Japanese middle-school age children walk in. Besides a few miscellaneous passengers like myself, there were the 100 children, a group of high school evangelists who'd just completed a humanitarian mission in the Philippines, and a group of high schoolers who had done a study abroad in Japan. It made for a noisy, busy flight, since the electronics in the coach part of the plane was down, so no inflight movie, radio, video games, etc. to keep the group entertained!! Eight hours of teenage angst!! The Japanese children were fun to watch. They screeched with delight when the plane took off and when it landed. They visited and chatted and hugged each other; some of the girls sitting 4 or 5 deep in the seats designed for 3. For some reason, they took pictures of their meals on the plane. Pre-teenage excitement about every little thing is the same in any language! The evangelical group seemed to be exhausted; they were quiet and asleep for most of the nine hour flight; service to others can be tiring. I found the study abroad group who sat closest to me to be the most obnoxious. Most of them were flaunting their newly acquired language skills to Japanese native speakers and to impress any of the rest of us around them. I thought of the old song: "Puttin' on the agony, puttin' on the style. That's what all the young folks are doing all the while."

I was amazed to greet a teenage giant named Vale calling "Grandma" in a low voice!!

The final fun of my first day home was a breakfast at Shari's with Mark's family, who were all headed in separte directions after a fun reunion at our house.

All in all, a good time had been had by all--except perhaps Tom who spent many, many hours building a beautiful, beautiful new deck and gathering wood for our winter's pleasure. Life at is best!!

Love to all. Mom

"Love is like the North Star. In a changing world, it's always constant." — Gordon B. Hinckley

Hanging Out and Hanging On

Little Mason is nine days old....

This tray came to Grandma with the request, "Will you pix it?"

Ethan made a pet of a tiny gecko we found in a bedroom.

Legos, Legos, and more Legos.

Ready for church

A funny Mohawk to tease Mom.
The main attraction.

There is no doubt that summertime in Guam is a study in contrasts. I'm still in Guam and enjoying the grandkids, old and new, but....I'm so looking forward to seeing my sweetheart on Wednesday--stateside Wednesday. What's interesting about missing a loved one is that you find that what you really, truly miss is not so much the big things, but the million of small, minute images, feelings, memories that make up 38 years of being with someone. I miss the crinkles/crow's feet in Tom's eyes when he laughs at a private joke we've shared. I miss looking at his hands, every inch of which I know and love, I miss his "I'm home....where are you?" when he's been gone even for just a few minutes. I miss seeing the blue light of his watch when he checks it in the middle of the night.....and a million other things. So, I'm hanging on for Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm enjoying all the quirkiness, silliness, foolishness of five little children. We're hanging out in a land where one minute there's thunder, lightning, sleeting,slanting rain and a few minutes after the storm, there's not trace of a drop of moisture....

INTRODUCING...MASTER MASON CHARLES TURNER

After waiting nearly an hour, while nurses weighed, measured, and bathed the two hour old baby, Mason Charles Turner was greeted with oohs and ahs by his big brothers and sister. So much joy fills a room during such events!! I always think of Wordsworth's words: "

" But trailing clouds of glory do we come/From God who is our home. Heaven lies about us in our infancy..."

Heaven indeed. It was as enthralling to greet Number 16 grandchild as it was to greet Number 1 20 plus years ago. A privilege indeed--in the midst of a storm on a tropical island!! Mason Charles Turner born July 10 (I know what you're thinking, but remember we're in Guam) at 4:45 pm, a whopping 8 lbs and 2 ounces

Welcome to the world, Mason.

STILL WAITING

For baby.....

Still here....still waiting...having fun....missing my sweetheart.

Love you all, Mom

RIDING OUT THE STORM

There are many kinds of storms, and, at this day and time, I'm riding out a few of them. None are serious--just adjustments to a different life style--temporary at best--here in Guam as we await the birth of Mason.

The first storm is potty training. As you'll notice in these pictures, Ivan, Marie's youngest, is usually dressed in a t-shirt and pullups because we are potty training!! Since I potty-trained five children, I assumed that I could manage that task for Marie with Ivan, who is developmentally delayed. My oh my...cut my tongue out. I've been getting my daily exercise by chasing Ivan all over the house, attempting to get him on the "potty train." His reward for toileting properly is "potty candy." An oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Our conversations in the bathroom have been, if nothing else, hilarious!

Me: Ivan, I'd like you to potty in the toilet just like your big brothers.

Ivan: My big brothers can shoot droids, and I can shoot the droids....as he flushes the toilet several times, tips over the toothbrush holder, and plays with the bathtub toys...but no job done. I am, however, determined. I am also attempting to potty train to the dog who loves nothing better than to do his morning business in the boys' room. This too has been my daily aerobic exercise and my voice exercises..."Close your door!! Astro's headed for the bedroom!!" "Boys, run back and close your bedroom door--now!" And so it goes.

The next storm is the air conditioning. It is so hot and humid here that the a/c runs all the time. Thus, the pictures of children in shorts, wrapped in blankets. For those wondering about the rainbow blanket, it is already a much-used accessory. This particular storm, the blanket brigade, is accompanied by storms of: "Clean your place at the lunch table, have you done your morning chores, I know you don't want to (fill in the blank), but your mother wants you to (fill in the blank.)" These constant tirades remind me constantly of my days as a young mother with young children.

The third storm has to do with living in the tropics. Every day there is a brief tropical storm accompanied by constant heat, so the wonderful play area which is mere feet from Marie's back door remains empty most of the day. Summer vacation in Guam is similar to winter vacation in colder climates. Cooped up--cramped area--not enough to do. "I'm bored," they say to which I reply, "Shall I find you something to do?" "I'm hungry," they complain. "I've watched all these movies, video games, computer games, etc.," and it's only June!!

I'm truly not complaining. I love my Marie with her bubbly optimism, wonderful, funny mothering, and our projects. Ben is strong and silent--a true patriarch to his family. The kids are kids--funny and funky. Tom is at home working far too hard and keeping Vale entertained, and we both agree that we're lonesome but not alone....There is always a rainbow at the end of the storm. Love from Guam--where America's day begins. Mom

A WALK WITH ETHAN

Here in Guam, beauty is everywhere--swaying palm trees, flowers of bright oranges, reds, and blues, colorful tourist buses and jitneys, heart-stopping sunsets, and a truly azure ocean. My pictures are a bit jumbled, and I'm not at my own computer so....bear with me.

My grandson, Ethan, and I take a walk every morning. If we're not out and about by 6am, we are in for an excessively warm walk. Our path looks about like the picture. I am a number of steps behind, and Etan is ahead talking a mile a minute. Ethan is Ethan Thomas, named for his Grandfather Kennedy, and he is well-named. At eight, Ethan is a sweet, sensitive, responsible boy, bright, and interested in helping everyone. He is an artist and a philosopher, and he's taken on the responsibility of teaching me about nature and life and love as we walk the dog, Astro. Some Ethanisms: I said: "Oh look, Ethan, it rained last night." "That's dew, Grandma. Dew comes up and rain comes down."

Ethan is concerned that it is his duty to inform people how to get themselves physically fit, so he made a number of fitness signs which he taped to all the stop signs in the neighborhood. Of the poster, he said: "You can tell how a person is feeling if you look at their eyes." He then demonstrated sad eyes, happy eyes, mad eyes, etc. for me. Then he said: "My dog in the poster has sad eyes because he wants people to be happy." In case you can't read the poster, it says: "Don't be like a dog. Don't sweet out of your tounge."

The home in the picture is 47 Poincianna Circle where the Turners live. Anywhere you look, there are swaying palm trees. The little park is directly behind their house.

The next picture isn't great, but if you'll look along the aerial, at the roofline, there is a shadow of a huge "boonie" bee. Everything that is bad, abandoned, run-down, etc. in Guam is "boonie." I am to look out for "boonie" bees because their stings are awful bad, and Ethan will show you all the places he's been bitten if you ask.

If you look in the center of the house, you'll see a bird on the wing. A lady jogging by told us there was a parakeet loose, and Ethan found him by pretending he was a parakeet.

Our four year old grandson, Ivan, is developmentally delayed, and water of any kind thrills and delights him, so Ethan wanted to get out the wading pool for Ivan. Being a northwesterner, I explained that he should fill the pool with water right after our early morning walk so it would have time to warm up before they played in the pool. He was puzzled by my advice, but being the pleaser that he is, he filled the pool. The truth is that the water out of the tap is never cold in Guam!!
The biggest news so far is that Connor, age 7, just lost his fourth tooth! It took him all day to wiggle it loose, but here's the proof.
I do miss my sweetheart, but I'm feeling useful, even if I may not be....I love all of you!! Baby Mason is making his presence known with his own kicking and pushing, but his doctors want him to stay in the womb just a bit longer. We'll see who has the stronger will!! Love to All. Mom