Motivation for education (& edification)

Today at Akong's bedside in the ICU at UCI Medical Center, Jadon spoke more Chinese (with Mommy's coaching) than I'd ever seen or heard in his life.  It was a touching scene, one I very much wanted to record but whose sanctity I was afraid to ruin by pulling out my camera during his (& Evangelina's) tearful sharing while holding Akong's hand.

"Akong, wo ai ni.  Ni zhidao wo shi shei ma?  Wo shi Jadon.  Ni yao zhidao JJ ni.de nu:er ai ni, Mina wo.de meimei ai ni, JY ni.de nu:er ai ni, Ama ye ai ni.  Ni.de jiating dou ai ni."

Biopsychosociospiritual wholes and holes

On the way up to Jadon's orthodontic appointment (during which we also planned to visit the Highland LLU clinic for the first time since our 2015 departure), I asked Jadon if he would like to visit a convalescent home with me and play the piano for the residents there.  In the past he was generally mixed about this kind of serving, so I totally left it up to him whether he wanted to play for the residents.  He immediately agreed.  As we were going in I told him I was proud of him for having the heart to serve others with his gifts, to which he matter-of-factly responded that it was also because he wanted to show off a little.  I told him it was a sign of maturity that he had that insight about himself. 

A bit earlier when I was telling Jadon about Papa Carl (an old patient of mine who suffers from Alzheimer's dementia), I explained that the dementia has slowly left him unable to take care of himself, recognize his wife, or even talk.  Jadon asked me, "What does he say when he's with his wife?" I told him that he used to say that she was "a nice lady" but that I did not know what he would say now.  Jadon said, "That's kind of both funny and sad at the same time."  A few minutes later he asked, "Is Papa Carl a Christian?"  I said he is, and Jadon asked further, "How would he know he's a Christian if he doesn't even know his own wife?"  I explained that there's now a "disconnect" between what his spirit knows and what his physical body (by way of his now disordered brain) can tell us.  

Brokenness sure leads to some interesting questions, ones I'm glad Jadon's asking.

ARRINCONADO, Episodio Uno

Escucha, no tengo mucho tiempo.  Mi nombre es Jadon, y es el año 2023, y tengo 19 años.  Hace diez años que todo empezó.  Cuando tenía nueve años, y traté de imprimir imagenes de alienígenas, alienǵenas vivos se aparecieron de veras.  ¿Quizá era un dispositivo de teletransporte?  De cualquier modo, los alienígenas me secuestraron, pero yo escapé de su planeta de origen, Andromeda, y regresé a la Tierra en un OVNI (objeto volador no identificado).  Yo tenia quince años pues, 

así que ahora la Tierra está en guerra contra los alienígenas.

-- ¡Eh, Katerín, hermanita!  ¡Hay un alienígena allí!  Es Tropa Seis, Los Ancianos.  ¡Ten cuidado!  ¡Si disparas y falles, somos muertos! --

Hay seis tipos de alienígenas.  Tropa Uno dispara rayos de energía de sus ojos, y son rojos.  Tropa Dos pueden teleportar y son anaranjados.  Tropa Tres puede desaparacer y son amarillos.  Tropa Cuatro son muy fuertes y son verdes.  Tropa Cinco puede cambiar formas y son negros.  Tropa Seís es lo más poderoso que todo.  Ellos tienen los poderes de todas las tropas, y son marrones cuando están en su forma alienígena.

-- ¡Katerín, mira!  ¡Te fallaste!  ¡Parate de bailar y disparas!  ¡Ay!  ¡Mira!  ¡Él está viniendo! --

-- ¡Ayyyy!  ¡Mi hermanita idiota!  ¡Siempre haciendo algo estupido!  Déjame tomar mi propia pistola de rayos... --

-- ¡Katerín, mira!  ¡Mi intento primero! --

¡KZAP!  ¡KZAP!  ¡KZAP!  -- ¿Ves?  ¡Esto es la manera en que debes disparar!  ¿Katerín?  ¿Katerin? --

Allí, a mi lado, había un alienígena, Tropa Cuatro.  Cada vez que una persona es matado de un alienígena, la persona se convierte en un alienígena.  Tengo no más opción que disparar a mi hermanita.

-- ¡Zu! -- va mi pistola de rayos.

Mi preciosa hermanita está muerta para siempre...

¡Lee más en Episodio Dos!

happy rhymes for happy times

This Fourth of July Jadon learned a ditty from some family friends (with kids his age): "I farted, I tooted; the air is polluted."

To that he has added the following:

"Oh someone, someone, help me please,

Dilute this smell of stinky cheese!

Oh no!  I'm starting to wheeze, 

And gosh, I've fallen to my knees!

Then I realized the truth, I'm blackin' out

And I can't avoid it, there's no way out."

Virus-free. www.avast.com