Yes, nothing should matter more than the people around us. Families, friends, ex-colleagues...Thank you so much for making time to meet us and feed us. All four of us have put on weight. You all know we need it to keep ourselves warm in cold, chilly Shanghai. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Lunch, tea, dinner with families. We miss our brother, based in Melbourne.
His leave was not approved. Well, there will always be the next time, brother.
Reunion dinner with the in-laws
Skinny pizza dinner with two very close friends...
we have known one another for the last three decades
Lunch with dh's ex-colleagues, Gabriel, Karen and Eddy from Kenya. Gabriel, man standing behind. He was an ASEAN scholar and working for one the big six accounting firm but quitted his cushy job, went to Kenya and started the Tana River Life Foundation to help the people there.
The foundation has grown so much that he is able to send two boys for overseas
studies and it was Eddy's first trip to Asia. Amazing young man with great vision!
Dinner with James and Lay Khim and their three lovely kids.
A faith-walking family. Both are full-time workers with YFC (Youth for Christ)
but they lead a good and happy life. An excellent example for all of us to follow. Sometimes, a simple life is really a joyous life.
Dinner with Lavonne, our real estate agent who has become a very good friend of ours over the years. An outstanding agent, of course, what do you expect from someone who not only help us to sell our house but also help us to find the right house, pray for our house, give sound advice and have been servicing us for the last ten years...with or without commission. If you are a sales person and reading this...this is what it is all about!
Ramen lunch with uncle Moses...he always have great books for us. Our very knowledgeable friend with a really big heart. The kids adore him...(so do us!)
Nothing is complete for the kids until they have a sparkle-fun time with their beloved cousins
Finally, we met the latest addition to the family, Lucus Lim who was born when we were away. Welcome to the big family, buddy!
I have heard many of you lamenting about the "chores" of celebrating Chinese New Year. I guess you cannot fully appreciate it until you have first hand experience of not being able to celebrate it. In the US, people flew, drove many hours just to be home for Christmas. Here in Shanghai, people Q up for hours just to buy a ticket to be home for Chinese New Year. No, not flying in the comfort of air plane but in crowded, sardine-packed trains and buses. Not sitting on comfortable seats but on newspapers laid on the floor...friends, we are talking about 20 hours bus ride. So, be thankful, be very thankful.
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