The Latest News

A conversation heard on Easter:

Abraham to me: Do you have a Mother?
Annabelle: She already died without us Abraham.
Abraham: Oh, my brother died.
Me: No, he didn’t Abraham. He’s right there.
Abraham: Oh.
Annabelle: I’m going to die! But when I get old. And Baba will die when he gets old. And you will Mama and Abraham and Baby Alex but when we all get old. Then we will live together in heaven.
Me: Do you really believe that Annabelle?
Annabelle: Yep. I do!

The faith of a child is inspiring, right? Here is another conversation between those same two angelic kids heard about an hour later.

Annabelle: Get out of here Abraham!
Abraham: No you get out. I told you girls cannot touch the whale!
Annabelle: You don’t say that (pushes him). You can only touch Nemo!
Abraham: You are ruining me! (screaming and red-faced) She’s ruining me!

Well, those are just a few of the fun conversations we get to hear around here. In other news:

William’s sweet Mother was rejected for her tourist visa again. She has applied to the U.S. embassy twice now, simply for the chance to visit the U.S. She would like to meet her newest grandchild. She would like to see the wonderful life her son has made for himself in this country. She would like to hang out with us, cook with us, play with the kids, and have a fun visit. Doesn’t sound unreasonable right? And yet, she has been deemed unworthy even to come for a visit. Again.

I am sad about it and the kids are disappointed, but we’ll be okay. William, on the other hand, is quite devastated. Considering he is the most optimistic person I know, it is especially hard to see his pain. He is trying not to show it, but the pain is deep. This is his Mom, after all, and Moms are important to us all. But to be so far away from one’s Mom for so long, so have accomplished so much and not be able to share it with her---for a son like William, it is simply heart-breaking.

No system is perfect, of course, but whether we will have the faith and energy (not to mention the money) to ever try again is very hard to say. On the other hand, how can we not try again, and again, and again until one day she finally gets a “yes”. In the meantime, I hope she can “bounce back” as best one can and that we will somehow find a way to feel peace about it, or at least in spite of it.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We shall see what the future holds. We recognize the great gifts in our lives and we are keenly aware of our blessings. Despite them, though, there are (as I suppose there are for all of us) some challenges that seem beyond our control. We hope we can learn and grow and come out better on the other end of this trial.

That is the latest here. Hope you're all doing well!