I had to laugh at myself yesterday after first shedding a few tears. We were finishing up our homeschool time and reading one of the books we'd checked out from the library. It was a really cute story about a boy who loved to play baseball but had to miss the first game of the season because he got sick. One of the other kids on the team knew how much the game meant to him, so he called every inning to give the sick kid a play-by-play report on how the game was progressing. I was so choked up that I literally had to stop reading about half-way through the last several pages to try to regain my composure and finish the story! The message so hit home--how important it is to have friends that care about you and know your heart, who fill you in on the "details" when you aren't there to enjoy them with them in person. I teared up as I reflected on how thankful we are to have so many loving friends and family standing behind us as we make this huge life transition, who go to the trouble to keep in touch and encourage us as they do. The outpouring of love and care for our family has totally overwhelmed us, and left us feeling that we have in no way been "forgotten" by those we love so dearly! I hope this doesn't sound like a total downer, but if we're honest, there really is a lot about the States that we miss--especially this time of year. We are SOOOOO thankful for so much here, but there are times when the sadness hits and I just miss my friends and family and so much that is familiar to us. Yesterday morning was one of those times! And this even after I had just taken the photo of the sunrise out of our bedroom window. I'm not sure if the brilliant color was due to the sun rising or the blaze of a distant furnace from a factory blurred by the pollution smog that always hovers over the city, but it was beautiful nonetheless!
Now you may be asking--"So what kind of long-term damage are you doing to your kids as they sit around watching you wipe the tears from your eyes as you try to catch your breath enough to complete one cheesy library book?!" And the question is a good one! But I was honestly a little concerned at their lack of awareness of my mini-meltdown! Not one of them even batted an eye at my display of emotion. I'm hoping this has more to do with their age and interest in the book rather than the reader than it does with their ability to empathize with others in their sadness!
Thankfully I didn't dwell in the pit of sadness for long; there were adventures to be had! I managed to taxi to (and from!) our Sam's Club-equivalent with all four kids by myself. Kevin was back at the baseball stadium (this time getting both his legs AND abs absolutely worked over to the point of fatigue!), but we were short on some speciality items that can only be found at this store called Metro. We've only been there 3 times (including yesterday!) since we've moved here, but they already know us as the foreigners who shop there with so many kids in tow! The same manager who has helped us each time came out of her office again (she speaks English!) to help me understand a few details of my purchases. While I was talking with her the kids were being entertained by the tv's on display. I noticed that very soon af
ter they wandered over to the electronic section, the movie was changed to a kid one ("Ice Age")! This was no doubt for the sake of my little ones, who were the only ones around, and I appreciated their being distracted for a few minutes for me to get organized in my shopping. One of the really nice things about the kids being the center of attention everywhere we go is how much freedom it gives me with them. Even if I am not watching them like a hawk I can guarantee that there is a whole slew of Chinese people who are, and who are not afraid to "parent" them as needed! The whole "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality is definitely in sync with the Chinese culture!The other picture is of Hudson "fixing" the bunk bed ladder with his hammer. He's wearing his new Christmas pj's and was quite certain he needed to have on his sunglasses as well!
