Greetings Dear Readers,
After I got the phone call from Iris last week, I sat down and pondered how to tell the children that their great-grandfather had passed away. I guess I needed time to digest the fact.
When I told Robin and Merrie they, of course, cried. Then Robin did something very touching... he drew a picture and brought it to the fax/scanner/printer I use in the half of the dining room that is my office. He insisted I scan it in and then pointed to the web cam. I tried to explain that Grandpa wouldn't see it and he rolled his eyes at me- literally. I asked him what to name it and he called the picture a “ug”. He wanted to send Iris a hug.
I may never have wanted to get a PhD, but the cost of Robin's therapy is less if I am a student at Snow Valley College, considerably less. I like the fact we are living on an organic, self-sufficient farm and I have learned that I love teaching others how to write and how to edit. My publishing contacts have picked up considerably here. Most importantly, Robin and Merrie are happy and Dee has fallen in love with life here. I may not be the most devoted candidate for a PhD but I will be the most grateful of students.
Robin and Merrie will remain here while I attend the memorial service next week. My teaching contract is not up until the American Labor Day. Dee and I feel that they both have made so much progress in getting comfortable with their surroundings free from the curse of a sanity challenged grandmother. We held a private memorial service for the kids last Sunday, where we made cards for Grandpa Jim and tied them to balloons that we released. It was our family grieving for a loved one. It was private, personal, dignified and allowed the kids to be kids. It felt just right.
In writing the above, I stopped and went to class, On the way back, our house sitter called with the news that the Patels filed kidnapping charges on my mother. It seems she took Ashok to the mall without telling them... and enough was enough.
Clearly, updates on this situation as they happen.
Mike