Small World

She's not really naked. See her little outfit below.

Sunday was so busy I didn't get a chance to post anything.  To go back to Saturday, the tailgating and the game were "fun" according to Lynn. And Clemson won, although they didn't play very well.  Fortunately, E & L were treated to the usual Whitley family's Southern Hospitality. Nobody does it better.  Seats in the shade capped off the experience. Afterwards they stopped at the ESSO Club (famous local bar) before heading home, hoarse, tired, and happy.

Sunday, the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, was a far more serious day.  E & L accompanied me to church, and on the 30-minute drive in I attempted to explain the history of Christianity and its many branches, including modern Unitarian Universalism, which incorporates elements from a vast array of world religions. Nothing in the service fazed Lynn. She couldn't catch every word, but she got the gist of the sermon, and she enjoyed the music. Lots of people there wanted to meet her. Some already knew Eric.

Off to the nearby town of Pendleton for a yummy brunch at the Village Baker and Cafe'. Lynn declared that Shrimp and Grits are very good. So was the bacon.  And the turkey and dressing. And the green beans. And the English Breakfast tea.

A quick trip to the super market and home to Harry.  Then we four hopped back in the car to drive back to Clemson's performing arts center for a community event that was billed as a 9/11 Remembrance and Reconciliation. About 800 people attended this well organized event.  There was music, candles, personal testimonials from 'born and bred' South Carolinians, as well as those from all over the world; religious leaders of various stripes, and a Gold Star mother whose daughter, a helicopter pilot, was killed in Iraq in 2003. The whole service was so moving, so tender, so inspiring.  The we gathered in the lobby for conversation and refreshments. I had a fascinating conversation with some young men, graduate students from Tunisia, Pakistan, Libya, and Germany.

By then it was time for dinner, so the four of us invited two good friends to join us at a brand new Lebanese restaurant in Clemson. Wow, what a great meal we had!  The owners were extraordinarily generous with us: free appetizers and treats for dessert, as well as giving me a bottle of fragrant Orange Blossom Water that I'd detected in the rice pudding and raved about.  It was a wonderful evening. Lynn enjoyed everything she tasted, and liked the spiciest dishes best (although none were really spicy).

So home we went, full and happy.

This morning I got up early, left E & L to sleep late, and went back to my volunteer gig: helping in a 4K class at the Clemson Child Development Center. I don't go there in the summer. It was great to get back in the swing of it.  There is nothing like a four-year old on his first day in a new school to take your mind off anything else.  I'm trying to learn the names of the kids who are new to the school.  They all call me Miss Linda.

Since Lynn is a teacher at a Gymboree Play and Music Center in China, she is very interested in observing my class. I'll give the teacher a few more days to get her class into a routine before bringing Lynn in there. She and Eric will also visit the Montessori school where Eric went from age 3-8. And I found that there's a Gymboree Play and Music Center in Greenville. We'll go there too.

Finally, E & L are going to get a home cooked meal tonight. One of Eric's favorites: Moroccan Turkey Burgers, oven-baked sweet potato "fries," and a salad with our great local peaches. At 7:30 we'll go to Dad's apartment to celebrate a Chinese holiday variously known as the Mid-autumn Festival or the Moon Festival.  I know it's not 'mid-autumn'  --  and my guess is that the Chinese know it too  --  but the moon is full now and by golly, we're going to celebrate.  E & L brought some special confections called Moon Cakes for us to nibble on with some hot tea which L will prepare at Dad's and serve in the porcelain tea set she gave us as a gift when we were in China.  After sipping and nibbling (or maybe before, I don't know the protocol), we'll all go out to the parking lot and look at the moon. It's comforting for Lynn to know that her family in China has all gathered in her home town to do the same, albeit 12 hours ahead of us.

It is such a small world. We're all in this together, so let's enjoy it.