Uncle 'Eko in Town

It had been years since uncle 'Eko had come to town, but with his new job in December he was suddenly thrust back into the fray by visiting regional headquarters here. We were naturally delighted when he announced that he'd be coming into town. The timing worked out perfectly!

From when we found out about his visit Amalia had dreamed of going to the zoo with him. She was delighted as she brought it up so often that it became the only thing that we knew we would do. The rest of the plan was a bit "up in the air" but the zoo was going to happen. 

Except that a few days before his arrival the haze arrived. The air quality dropped along with the visibility and we could barely see across the small lake in front of our place. The zoo became a "we'll have to see how the air is" affair. Thankfully by day two of his arrival the haze decided to head on out, never to return. That meant we could go to the zoo, but the morning we were going to go little Amalia had second thoughts. "Are we going to see lions?" she asked?  Daddy replied "yes" and she started to retreat in her bed. "They bite in the zoo" she announced. More similar conversations took place about tigers and gorillas too to the point that the zoo was no longer an option. 

Not to worry thought. We were off to the aquarium instead! We had a simply wonderful time there. Even seasoned traveler 'Eko was impressed with what our city had to offer!  Particularly the section where we walked down the tube, watching rays and sharks above us, was awe inspiring for our girls (and the adults too!). Tia, TTmouz and Avi were there as well!  The visit, of course, was followed up by a visit to KLCC where we had a scrumptious meal and some beer to remind Aleko of the old days. 

Aleko finally drove away in the borrowed BMW from the company. His arm waved from the driver's window as we watched him below from the balcony. It was three days of great times, lots of play and now that we know that KL is on the "tour" we can't wait until he comes back!  Thank you uncle 'Eko!!

Every Day, a Gift

In the whee hours of this morning an airliner took off from Kuala Lumpur on it's way to Beijing. By the time we woke up out of bed after a long night's slumber the plane had disappeared and as we write this it has still not been located. The passenger lists, however, have become public and, in them are a number of young children. Apart from the fact that this was pretty close to home (daddy has been on that very flight before) it was also an opportunity to recognize our vulnerability and to recognize just how fortunate we are for everything we hold dear. Our hearts go out to the many who are in pain right now, just a few miles away or perhaps just up the street. 

But in a time of difficulty it's also important to recognize just how wonderful our life is and continues to be. As the world looked on, focused on the waters off the coast of Vietnam, our girls played with us, with friends, with each other. We went out for lunch and did our shopping. Played in the pool and took naps. Snuggled together and went to bed. The girls were happy and filled with life. They reminded us - as they do each day - just how full our life is. Whether a good day or a bad one, our life is, quite literally, full. We grow with them, through them, for them. 

Each day is a gift for each and every one of us. We move on, in this case without the intense pain of some families in this country tonight. We're filled with the wishes, hopes and love that we sometimes take for granted. Love. Live. Love. Every day a gift.