Chinese New Year

Kung Hei Fat Chai

(Happy New Year)

The Chinese Association of Greater Flint just hosted their first public Chinese New Year celebration and we were privileged to attend.  

The date of Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival) is based on the lunar calendar and always falls in January or February.  

This is the year of the Rooster.  Next year will be the year of the dog and then the pig and the rat - but I don’t yet understand what that all means. 

'Twas a colorful and beautiful evening with yummy food and lovely Chinese garb. The performances included piano solos by a Chinese student, singing by Chinese children, a calligraphy demonstration, a fashion show and dancing.

I was particularly moved by the playing of Rachmaninoff’s Polichinelle op. 3, no. 4.  Not that I would have known that was the name of it…  But it was so wonderful.

Although I enjoyed the performances and really loved the food, I think I’d have to say that my favorite part of the evening was being able to share it with friends.  To be welcomed by new friends from China and Taiwan was heart-warming indeed. 

Bob participated in the fund-raising “lottery” and shared his tickets with our friends.  One of the winning tickets netted a rice cooker for Charlie - who just happened to have been sharing his rice cooker with a friend - who lives on a different floor in the dorm.   

I am so very grateful for our recent connections with these beautiful people. I am honored to call them my friends.

On this day: NOLA

It was just two years ago that we visited New Orleans - from our winter home on Dauphin Island at the mouth of Mobile Bay.  

And now Facebook reminds me of the various tidbits I had posted throughout the day.

- What a gorgeous day.  Let’s go to New Orleans!

- Crossing into Mississippi

- The Pascagoula River

- Louisiana. Checking off another state. Number 35, I think.

-Walked 4.7 miles - wandering to The Market Cafe in the French Market area and then back to the Musical Legends Park where we enjoyed our beignets.

-That is one stinkin’ long bridge.

Especially for this girl who doesn’t care for bridges.

-Safely back home.

Yah, sweet home Alabama 

…

’Twas a good day. 

We are not typical tourists - at least I don’t think we are. We don’t enjoy crowds nor shopping - well, except maybe for pralines and fudge. Oh, yes, we DO enjoy trying out the local cuisine and listening to the local music - both of which are rather spectacular in Nawlins!

So we don’t usually worry about the SHOULDs - all of the things that people say you simply must see or do.  Sure, we listen to the recommendations and probably ask some questions about why we must see it - and then make our own choices.  

But we did consult the experts.  Our girls love NOLA and have been trying to get us there for awhile - so we sought their guidance in planning our day. Basically we picked a few spots to look for, but mostly we chose to just walk the streets of the French Quarter and soak in the flavor of the place.  ’Twas a great plan and that’s just what happened. 

We walked, we listened, we stared, we marveled, we learned, we asked questions - and we tasted and enjoyed pretty much every morsel.  Of the food and of the culture.

By the way, the highlight of my day was listening to the young boys jamming across the street from the French market.  I was impressed and inspired. Those boys were good.

Photo credit goes to Bob Sims.  Check out his story about the day here.

On this day; tidbits from the road

I love Facebook memories - that cool little feature called “on this day” - that brings forward tidbits from this date of your Facebook history.

It is so fun to be reminded of things that were happening in my world one year ago today or two or three years ago - or maybe even eight years ago!

Certain dates seem to be filled with significant stuff through the years while others simply journal my ordinary moments.

This date, January 18, held some interesting moments in the last few years.

2014

View from the laundromat.

Not too shabby

(I was loving the palm trees and the mountains and the fact that we were privileged to live in southern California for a season.)

…

2015

- What a gorgeous day.  Let’s go to New Orleans!

- Mississippi

- The Pascagoula River

- Louisiana. Checking another state off our list

Does that make 35 for me?

- Walked 4.7 miles around the French Quarter 

(according to my Endomondo tracker)

- The Market Cafe - for lunch and live jazz music

- Musical Legends Park - for beignets

- That is one stinkin’ long bridge.

Especially for this girl who doesn’t care for bridges.

- Safely back.

Sweet home Alabama

...

(These posts were from our day trip to New Orleans - from our winter home in Alabama. That was fun! What a privilege to finally get to visit this iconic city. Looking back I realize that I didn't do a blog post about it; I guess I still could. Look for it here.)

...

2016

"I love that time in the early, early morning when the music has finally fallen silent as have the motorcycles so that we can finally hear the surf again.

...and then the roosters!

"Walked along the beach and then to a couple stores, stopping at the French bakery on the way home. Yep. I can dig this routine."

...

(At this time we were living in Las Galeras, a small fishing village at the literal end of the road in the Samana Peninsula, Dominican Republic.)

...

2017

And now it is 2017 and we are back in Michigan - staying put for a year.

Feels good - to take the time to slow down a bit. To catch up on things that didn’t get done when we were on the road.

I wonder where we will be ON THIS DAY next year.

Good friend

Dear friend,

I don’t think that I’ve ever called you my best friend.

I guess somehow that would have seemed presumptuous.

Oh, you were a good friend and I've always liked you a lot, but our journeys converged for only a brief time.  I learned so much from you during those few short years we were in close proximity. I wish I had taken better notes.

When distance again separated us, I realized a bit more about what a treasure you are. I made conscious choices to reconnect from time to time - maybe even to the point of intruding on your schedule.  Oops.  But you were always gracious and welcoming.

And then there was the most recent reconnect - the one that neither one of us would have chosen.  Well, at least we wouldn't have chosen the reason. That big new thing we had in common that once again brought us together.  The dreaded disease and everything involved. The testing and the treatment. The waiting and the wondering. The fears and the feelings. The seriousness and the sadness.  

I began the cancer journey sooner than you but you passed me up - not only in the physical and medical complexities and milestones, but also in your ability to find life lessons in the midst of difficulty. And to be so grace-filled. And so positive. 

I cherished this opportunity for closer connection again even though it came through an unpleasant reason. I was smart enough to take advantage of opportunities for conversation but I wanted to be careful not to steal too many spoonfuls of your time and energy.  Yes, there was more I could have gleaned from you, but so many others in closer circles needed you even more.  And so I continued to cherish what I could gain whether in your short notes as you had the strength or in reading the updates from you and your family. 

...

As I look back over the different phases of our connection, I celebrate you and the things i've learned from you. 

During our shared months of pregnancy and young motherhood, I learned about patience and serenity from your example. Oh, my. Not sure I’ve ever known anyone who displayed such calm. How wonderful for me to be around that attitude when I was just beginning my parenting journey!

During the middle years of our long-distance friendship, I still gleaned valuable lessons - about priorities and planning ahead, about hospitality and serving, and about treating people with respect and dignity.

During these most recent years of our cancer journeys, I continue to learn.  You've always been an example to me but I have more recently realized what a valuable role model and mentor you have become for me through the years even at a distance.

I still have much to learn…

About being courageous

About taking responsibility

About loving people

About serving others

About being a friend

About standing for right but doing it with grace 

About finding the positive side of tough stuff that comes my way

About making the most of my moments

About letting peace rule my heart

About seeking wisdom

About compassion

I am sad that I can longer ask your advice.

I have already been missing you.

...

Good friends, best friends...

Such interesting terms.

As I said before I do not presume to claim best friend status with you but... 

You are definitely one of the BEST people I’ve ever known. 

And you have been my friend.

A good one.

The best.

And for that I am so very grateful.

Thank you.