Adam's Moving Back

Wow, another interesting week. About the time I posted my last blog I got a call from my son in Baltimore informing me that he and wife Megan have decided to move back to Texas. In fact back they plan to move to his mother's home in Friendswood where he was raised. How fun. I'm sure his mother Pam is thrilled to have them and the two grandkids for more than the usual few days each year. I then got a call a few days later that my son Kyle and his fiance have set a date for their wedding, already. That will be Oct 19. So that means I will need to change my return flight from Africa to early Oct instead of early Nov. No problem, of course. Just makes my visit there a little briefer than I had hoped. At least I'll be there for the graduation of our seniors in late Sept. Today was another fun time as my sister, Janice, informed me that her former employer called to offer me a used microscope for the school biology lab. So we went to see it today and it is really beautiful and has an oil emulsion lens for bacteria, which we really need. They will be so excited to see this when I arrive. We only have one working microscope and it is in really bad condition, so this old 1995 model will blow them away. Of course it will add another 20 pounds to my luggage but it will be well worth it. Also my lovely daughter-in-law, Megan, has just offered me her awesome portable Epson printer, so I don't have to spend an arm and a leg on a similar used one. We really need something like this for all our passport pictures for the hundreds of ID cards we make each year at the school and I was admiring her's last November. This will make life so much easier. I had a lovely day at the diocese Prayer House (former Shantivanam) on Friday and had another lovely lunch with the staff. The weather was beautiful and after lunch I was the only one there, so it was a very peaceful afternoon to walk in the woods. That reminds me of the book "A Walk in the Woods" by Bryson, which I just purchased for my son Adam this week. Funny, when I called him that evening to tell him I had purchased it he about died. He had just borrowed the same book the day before from his friend the church pastor, I believe. We had not talked about it for over a year. Must be those brain waves. Finally I got a wonderful email from my friend and Maryknoll Lay Missioner Steve, who is now in Cambodia. He shared with us (23) his memories of our times together in Ossining, NY during our 3 month orientation in the Fall of 2005. What a wonderful time and such great memories. We will all miss that old building, Bethany, where so many former lay missioners first started their mission training. They will be moving down the street in a few weeks and selling the house and property, I believe.