Yesterday, we attended the Quaker meeting in Westerly, and I enjoyed it even more than the last time. During the silence of the meeting, I was able to stay focused on the present moment, just appreciating my in-breaths and out-breaths and the grains of wood in the bench in front of me and the look of the winter trees outside the large windows. I also enjoyed, very much, the comments made by several friends during the meeting, as well as the thoughts shared during the "after-thought" portion of the meeting.

Today we spent a very special few hours with young Josh -- hours we won't soon forget. He is a polite and friendly boy, and it was a delight to be with him. We first drove to a bowling alley, where we played two games of candlepins. I felt frustrated throughout the games, because I just couldn't figure out how to throw the balls with any accuracy. Cia, however, whirled the balls down the lanes with a fair amount of precision, and Josh, in his slow and quiet way, seemed to improve quite a lot over the course of the hour. We then had a good lunch at a nearby Panera, sitting at a small table and sharing quiet conversation. I think both Cia and I felt very lucky to have such a well-mannered and affectionate grandson!