James practicing his newly-acquired skill of standing up by himself
A less-than-100% Peter with Mom
It has now been two weeks and David and I are getting settled into our life back in East Lansing. I LOVE the fall and clean crisp air. Great for running, biking and walking. This is not Dili, to be sure.
After a car purchase (seduced by the look of luxury) which involved much anxiety (the mechanics said it was a black hole of repair bills) we swapped the hole, plus a $500 fee for a 2003 Saturn and we are now driving a car worthy of our station. It was a lesson in humility, which I thought I would not need having just returned from the poorest country in Asia. Sigh. Things fall apart. (Isn’t that the title of a book?)
Meeting Peter and James has been the BEST. I cannot believe how much I love being a grandma. Unfortunately, I brought a cold with me from the plane ride and gave it to both sweet boys. Not a great gift. Nevertheless, their faces were full of smiles and delight, and they have truly stolen our hearts. No one will ever mix up these twins, Peter with brown hair and eyes and an intense gaze and charming smile, James with blond hair, blue eyes and a jovial laugh and ready smile. Peter works hard at moving his body into new places, and James spends more energy creating new sounds, bababa and then a screech which seems to get a response from everybody. He remains surprised at his own power.
Our first weekend back at St. Thomas Aquinas I was privileged to do a mission appeal for the Canossians. I spoke at three masses and heard three different homilies on the parable of the talents. Amazing how much can be drawn from one parable! I do believe the Lord worked in this appeal as one deacon said he had never seen so much money put in the basket. Besides the direct collection, the Canossians will receive 5% of the total giving for the weekend, which could be a substantial amount. We are very pleased to assist those marvelous sisters in this way, as they struggle to serve the people of Timor-Leste.
The last of the beautiful leaves on the front tree
Our East Lansing home
With moving back into our house, raking leaves and meeting friends, life is very full. Thanksgiving weekend will soon be here, followed by a wedding shower and then a wedding (I am making the cake!). I do not anticipate any boring moments. Our plan is to eventually move to South Bend to be close to our children, grandchildren and a delightful community of Catholics. Naturally, we regret leaving friends of so many years in this area, but the drive is only 2.5 hours and we are sure to make it many times. God is so very good and we are so very blessed. [posted by Rory]
Wow!! I didn’t know you guys are already home. Just checked your website to see what was what, and I saw the adorable pics of your grandsons. Amazing! And the move to South Bend–big changes. But you sound happy and content and full of gratitude. Praise the Lord!