First Post of 2009

I realize my posts to the ol' blog are few and far between these days. For those who have followed my writing for the past four years, you all know that this began as a place for me to simply articulate what the loss of my sister meant to me, and how I was addressing the many phases of grief. Now, here in 2009, I find myself in a different era of life -- really.

OUR NOW
My family and I live in the tiny SE Asian country of Malaysia, in the middle of a tough overseas work assignment. My eldest daughter, Ashley (or Izzy, as she is known by her college friends), is a freshman at prestigious Northwestern University. Brooke is working through that all-too-tough junior year of HS here in Malaysia. Cheryl is halfway through her bachelor's in music program at the local music college.

Day to day, our life is all about dealing with the now-familiar, but still odd culture of Malaysia. Traffic laws are not obeyed; racism runs rampant; people are not free to choose their own religion; and the government controls its people with water cannons and tear gas. We work to stay safe on a constant basis, despite having been robbed numerous times over the past 2-1/2 years. In many ways, the state of development of this country is still 100 years behind the US. We're halfway done with Malaysia, and -- frankly -- we're looking forward to getting out. We don't know what "next" is for us. Could be Europe -- could be Australia -- could be Dallas -- could be San Diego. Stay tuned....

ASHLEY / IZZY
The past three weeks with Ashley / Izzy at home has been very very enjoyable. We have seen her unwind from her difficult first quarter at college. She has slept, baked, read, and relaxed. We've had some good time to talk about how to tackle the next stage -- looks like she could be going out for ROTC, possibly adding Physics as a second major, and maybe finding a fun group to join on campus (like the NU choir). We couldn't be prouder of our soon to be 19-year-old.

BROOKE
Brooke is getting ready for the big SAT. It comes on Ashley's birthday, Jan 24. From now until then we'll try to work through some tests and exercises so she can be at her best by the big day. We're also excited because she will be in a Photography class this semester -- a subject Brooke has always loved and has shown amazing skill in. Perhaps there is a career somewhere out there for her??

CHERYL
Cheryl is going to spend the next 2-1/2 weeks in Florida with her mom. Sending her on a 9,000 mile journey is no easy decision, but we believe this is the right time. The two of them need to spend time together because every day counts. Cheryl hopes to spend time in close conversation -- going over things from the most trivial to the most important. This is a very intentional visit, and although it will be tough not having Cheryl with me here in Malaysia for the day-to-day, it is better that she invest time with her mother while the opportunity presents itself.

LIGHTER STUFF
I'm happy that Rice won the Texas Bowl yesterday. Rice has had very few athletic "wins" over the past half-century, and winning a bowl game -- even if just a second (or third!) tier game like the Texas Bowl -- means a lot. They had a most impressive 10-3 season, and have brought another level of pride to a university community that still believes it's possible to succeed both academically and athletically. Looking ahead, the Rice baseball team is ranked #3 coming into the 2009 season. Let's go Owls.

RUNNING
As I just posted on my Facebook status, I ran a total of 1,288 miles in 2008. I accomplished this in 211 runs, in eight different countries, wearing just three different pairs of shoes. I completed one marathon in 2008, the Singapore Sundown Marathon. I hope to run another marathon in 2009 -- probably the KL Marathon at the end of March. Running continues to keep my stress level down, and gives me an avenue to think, listen to podcasts, and stay fit.

THE YEAR AHEAD
I won't say this many times, but 2009 is a milestone year: Cheryl and I will both reach a rather ugly milestone age (to remain nameless here!), and we will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (yahoo!!). We need to find a great place to celebrate -- thinking of Hawaii or Australia or New Zealand. Maybe a cruise (which I've never done) Any ideas?

Well, only a few more hours until it's time to take Ashley and Cheryl to the airport. I'll close this post down here. We have one more major item of business before the vacation ends: destruction of our 2008 gingerbread tower. If all goes as planned, we should have some sweet video to post later....

Wishing everyone a year of good health, abundant relationship, spiritual gain, and authentic peace.

greg