Saturday, July 11, 2015

No DXIng News, Just A Grandfatherly Reflection


Those of you who follow South East Asia DXing may have noticed very few entries have been posted in recent months. There's a good reason. My wife and I became the proud grandparents of an adorable baby boy a few months ago, and we have been terribly busy getting acquainted with him.  He is our first grandson, and he is without question very precious to us.

From the time of his birth we have documented every imaginable photo of him, sleeping and waking.  His parents and we can't seem to get enough of him. We dot after him constantly. We attend to his every whimper, cry and coo. We carry and play with him. And all except for changing his diapers -- you guessed it -- we have captured his daily activities on our handy-dandy digital cameras.  One cannot help but want to photograph each moment.  So, in short, no time for DXing.

Why the compulsion? Do we sense the moment will never be the same? Is it testimony of a love we wish to share with him when he is older? Well, yes, it is all of the above. It's what parents and grandparents do, providing they have the interest and means to do so.

There is such an overwhelming sense of joy and pride. We feel compelled to love him even more. But why the heightened interest? The attention and satisfaction should be no different than what was experienced with my younger siblings and our own daughter. Yet, this time around it somehow seems different. Maybe, with siblings it was a task; with a daughter it was a responsibility; with a grandchild it is these and more. It is the desire to pass on and ensure our legacy, knowing for certain our own years are numbered.

While we know not his future anymore than we know our own, we have only high hopes, good wishes and considerable prayers for him. Among these, that his parents may be forever together to protect, guide and nurture him; that he may respect his parents and bring honour and happiness to them; that he may practice tolerance and respect for all, exercise good judgement and uphold proper moral decorum; that his life may be selfless and dedicated to the greater betterment of humanity; that he may have the forbearance to rise above adversity; that he may have a keen sense of humour, without malice towards his peers; that he may respect and marvel in the creations of this world, great and small; that he will believe and remember his Creator; and above all, that  God may hear and grant our supplications.

So, please excuse me, fellow DXers. I need to look in on the baby. There's no time for DXing at the moment. Meanwhile, 73s to you all!

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