Ray the Viking

We had some special visitors return, the last time Madison seeing them I think was back in September of 2010.  So yeah, I think it's been a while.  Ray and Valerie have been down back in 2017 to see Madison's cousin Jonathan graduate, but I don't think Madison got to see them with all that was going on at that season.  This time was much better.  We got to spend a couple nights over at Nana and Ye-Ye's house, where we spent a good deal of time talking and catching up.

You can see here that they brought along their grandchildren as well.  Their son, Michael, married someone from China, and the two of them were here as well, along with the kids.

Anyway, it was a great time to talk and catch up.  Madison and the others were watching a little television as all the grown ups were talking about all sorts of things, from the current world crisis to old memories from a camping trip from the Great Smoky Mountains.  There's an old story about a bear visiting the campsite while they were there, and with me as an infant in the tent, and a bear between them and me.  They just let the bear explore a few items in the campsite, and fortunately the bear moved on.  But the whole camping trip was quite an adventure, with cooking and camping together.  I don't remember any of this, but there were many fond memories like this shared.  This relationship goes back fifty years.

This afternoon Madison had taekwondo, and there were a good number of students showing up there.  That was fun though.  The kids are using the combat sticks, but there are other lessons being learned too, of course.  We're racing towards the first week of August, where there's the red belt confirmed.

We just have to survive the next few weeks.  They look pivotal in so many ways.  Firstly, Ba-Ba had a test today, a scan to determine the progress being made with the therapies he's been having.  We're prayerful and hopeful about this.

The other thing is a resurgence of cases of this plague that just won't go away, despite our best efforts.    It just keeps beating us down as a nation.  We need to reemerge, but we must beat this thing down first.

One bit of encouragement came from these two kids, 4 and 7 years old.  They made a video from Zambia, and sent it to KidPak, letting us know how much they enjoyed Summer Xtreme:  United.  It was such a wonderful video, and they were so nice in it!

I did some writing for KidPak today, finishing up my message on the Cowardly Lion.  Oz is next I think.  Either he or Dorothy, and then we should be done with that series.  It's coming out nicely.

We watched "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." again tonight, and RIP Agent Ward.  Finally.  We remember this big event from a few years ago, but it's fun watching Madison follow the twists and turns of this third season all over again.  She's been enjoying it.

Prayers tonight, and all the other rituals of reading and hide-and-seek, and correct blanket placement when tucking in, as well as throwing small stuffed animals at each other and piling up pillows where Daddy is supposed to sleep.  Yes, all of this every night.  Plus reading of course - we've said goodbye to Masklin, Angelo and Gurder, and now we're following Grimma and Dorcas in "Diggers," which the girls are very much enjoying.

It was a nice day, and tomorrow promises to be a pretty nice one too.  We're praying for those who are sick though.  We need healing for our nation, and healing for our family.