Paste Fericit - Happy Easter!  

I know it's early but this morning (April 18), the CO, the Senior Chief, me, and several other personnel from NSF Deveselu (along with our two lovely Romanian translators) traveled to the Deveselu school and sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt for the school children, grades K-8.  We had prepared several hundred plastic eggs filled with candy (and for each grade two special eggs, one gold and one silver, containing money).  We hid the eggs in the schoolyard and waited for the fun to begin.  And to the winners went the spoils - the children were all guaranteed at least two eggs each and the teachers made sure no one went back to class without them.

     It was fantastic to interact with the children and the teachers.  Over my many years living across the United States and abroad in several countries, children all over the world are the same.  They want to be loved, they want to feel safe, they want to feel special, they want to be happy, they want a family, and they want peace.  The school I visited today was reconstructed with the help of the United States to give these children a nice place to learn, a safe place to play, and a somewhere the presence of the US is known to have contributed to making their lives and the lives of their families better.

     I couldn't be with my beautiful daughter Katie today on her 24th birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART or with my wonderful grandson Camden on his 1st birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM PAPA SMURF.  I love you both endlessly and appreciate the joy you have brought me.  Being around these wonderful children helps a lot to ease the sadness of missing these milestones.