Sometimes it seems like every time I turn around, a month slips away.

I was horrified to see that it had been more than a month since the last time I wrote anything here, but I'll be honest. Sometimes I feel like a lot of the stuff I write has no effect at all, at least beyond the people who know me and love me.

[caption id="attachment_1747" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Maddie in action."]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/20120706_75.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1747" title="20120706_75" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/20120706_75-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

And even with them, I feel like I'm off there in space somewhere and not connecting with them.

Earlier this month, Pauline finished her two-year tour in Surabaya, Indonesia, and came through Georgia on a the second leg of a six-part vacation that will end in mid-August with the beginning of a three-year tour in Kingston, Jamaica. We had a wonderful week with our grandchildren. Maddie is nearly 4 years old now, and little Lex is coming up on 9 months.

We had only seen him before at an age of about 5 weeks, so this summer was really the first time his personality is starting to emerge.

As you can see from the picture, taken only a couple of hours after they flew in from Spain (and boy, were their arms tired), Maddie had all sorts of exuberance and energy. Jet lag really is much easier when you travel west.

It wasn't an easy week. My lovely Nicole has been struggling with her health for several months, and having a week when we were going somewhere almost every day was stressful to say the least.

[caption id="attachment_1748" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Lex is almost crawling."]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/20120711_3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1748" title="20120711_3" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/20120711_3-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

They're gone now, first to New Mexico and then to Seattle. They'll spend a few days in Southern California before returning to Washington, D.C., for a few days of work-related things for Pauline.

Then it's on to Jamaica.

It's pretty amazing when you realize how little most Americans ever see of the world -- my best friend Mickey has never been outside North America -- to think that my grandson won't be a year old until November and he has already completely circumnavigated the globe.

One thing he has seen plenty of is hot weather. Surabaya is pretty close to the Equator, and Georgia feels like it is a lot closer than it really is. We had one day in the last month when the temperature in Atlanta hit 106 -- an all-time high.

Maybe it's the hot weather that has been getting me down, or maybe it's the fact that we are in an election year at a time when America just seems to have gone completely insane. Enough said about that for now. I make enough disparaging remarks about Mitt Romney on Facebook to get them out of my system, at least for the present.

What do I want?

I want my children and grandchildren to be happy and healthy, and more than anything I want Nicole happy and healthy again. It has been a long time.

If I could have those things, I would feel blessed.

I might even start writing more often.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;