Jeffrey and I had the opportunity of developing our hearts in every precious moment we spent together these past weeks (40 days). We did so many projects and things such as going to Bryant Park, taking the train to buy a yellow smiley-face balloon, or going to Chinatown to see the many varieties of live fish, or we just went to Queens to Roosevelt Ave. to buy some Mexican items. We went to the markets in India town and also to the Italian town and Korea town areas. He enjoyed taking the "choo-choo" train, as we called it, and buses so he could see many things, meet people, enjoy life and experience the various international places. He also had the experience of eating at Mexican, Italian, Colombian, Chinese and Korean restaurants.

Most of our time together we spent playing with his toys--cars, Legos, etc. We read books, his favorite being Baby Trucks. Recently his second favorite was Emily’s First Day of Class. But as I reflect, every day he had a new one. We went to the library to get books so I could read to him. He chose some and I chose others for him. We did some art too.

We also went to Toys R Us and bought educational toys such as Leap Frog (imagination), an activity desk, and 2nd Lite-Brite to make figures or pictures with colorful pins. That day we also got Water Symphony which has eight rainbow-colored circles and eight dolphins so he could make music by patting them on their heads. I wanted him to enjoy taking baths and I enjoyed watching him playing with his bath toys. He learned to take showers with the friendly neighborhood Spider-man foam soap. I felt so proud of him as I watched him.

Also we watched videos such as Monsters, Inc., Ice Age, Toy Story, Brother Bear, A Troll in Central Park, and others (Spirit, Finding Nemo, Scooby-Doo, etc.). Another one that he enjoyed as I was taking my Tongil Moo Do class was Shrek in Spanish. I did not remember it was in Spanish, but he did not mind watching it. He watched it on the eighth floor, sitting in a chair with those huge headphones as he drank juice or milk and ate popcorn and crackers. He knew I was next door in the other room with Uncle Ruben, though he could not see me. That day Israel and Misael of M.E.T. kept a watchful eye on him for me. Also, another Tuesday, Sarah Christian, of the second generation, took care of him. She left today for Cheung Pyung Training Center. She told me that she also had good experiences with him. He also got to know and call aunts and uncles the Spanish M.E.T. and the Japanese sisters who also watched him for me. He liked to go up to see them, especially he said Uncle Socrates.

When he saw the number 7 button on the elevator, he said uncles. I could tell you more about the people of the eighth floor, the witnessing team and the Japanese sister in the kitchen, but it would take forever. We went shopping together to buy food to cook for them.

He follows me wherever I need to go, and I followed him wherever he wanted to go--most of the time! We went to ride the carrousel in Bryant Park. I gave him the money to pay for his ticket. I wanted him to feel important and mature by paying for it himself. I had to be with him on the carrousel. I sat on a bench on the carrousel and he rode the horse of his choice. Although I got dizzy as it twirled, I imagined he was a cowboy riding freely on his horse all by himself. Also, we used to eat cream puffs two or three times a week from a Japanese pastry shop at 41st Street. (He could barely reach up his hand to pay because the counter was a little high for him.) He paid for the cream puffs all by himself and said, "Thank you" and "Bye"! He enjoyed eating ice cream, especially rum raisin, and the last time we went he chose strawberry. He loved eating strawberries, cherries, kiwis, mangos, grapes and most recently an oriental fruit called lychees. There were other kinds of fruit, but these are the ones I remember the most. He loved eating white rice, shrimp and Korean seaweed. One time we cooked shrimp together. He ate almost all of them but I had to eat some too because they tasted so good. When we prepared to go to bed, we prayed and said goodnight to God and True Parents, to Daddy driving a truck, to mommy in Korea, and to Shin Jun and Ryan in Poland.

I sometimes sang him a song such as Arirang, or a lullaby, or I just went sh-sh-sh (hush), and caressed him, his head and hair until he fell asleep. I slept beside him just in case he had a bad dream or woke up during the night. He knew by my patting him and going sh-sh-sh that he was not alone. I stayed with him until his father came home

.To me, Jeffrey Lis was not just my nephew but was like my child, my son, my buddy, my pal, my best friend who was there with me. We were one and we will always be, no matter what!

I didn’t like it when some people asked me, "Are you the babysitter?" My answer was, "I am not his babysitter; we are buddies, pals." I don’t like to be referred to that way because we are family.

In conclusion, Jeffrey Lis is a singular, unique, stubborn and willful unpolished Diamond with a great potential of transforming himself from a loving toddler, to a child, to a teenager and in not so far future into a "divine man of loving heart and peaceful smile." We are the ones who had the fate to know him as a toddler with occassional tantrums, but we took the time to win his trust and love. We could experience the greatness of his infinite and immense loving heart.

To you, my beloved little big man and forever best friend.

Auntie Sandra