Swimming into the Deep End

One of the things that I love about being in Shanghai is that I have time to do things for myself.  Working out has been one of those things and I most enjoy swimming twice a week.  It gives me time to ponder and just relax my mind.  In the last few weeks, I've come to realize how settled we have become in our new home and how much I miss folks back home. 




I've realized that we've been here long enough that my children pronounce Shanghai correctly (Shung/hi),  I can't tell the difference between red beans and peanuts in the dried legumes department of the grocery store,  Robert is comfortable wearing his pajamas in public, and my husband scooters my children all over Puxi without a second thought.  I am even the proud new owner of a scooter.  Now all I have to do is learn to drive the darn thing without running into curbs, trees, or pedestrians.  I thought relearning how to ride a bike was tough.  The children can't wait until I am ready to hit the road so we can scooter to church.  They patiently ride their bikes along side me and give me encouragement hoping that I'll be able to leave the neighborhood sooner rather than later.  It is really quite sweet.

I also have time to enjoy an awesome Bible study group with 40 other women, volunteer at the children's school, and take part in a neighborhood book club that focuses on books about life in Asia.  I am so grateful for this time.  It is helping me grow as a Christian and as a global citizen.  A part of my Bible study homework last week was to come up with a Bible reading plan.  I've never really sat down and read the Bible regularly so I searched a plan on the internet that helped me get my feet wet.  It has been one of the most cleansing, soul searching, and honest experiences of my life.  Especially the lesson on gratitude.  Each day I begin my prayers for the things which I am grateful.  That is when I realized how blessed I am for having a family at home in the States and a growing family here in Shanghai.  It made me realize how much I miss my family back home but also how thankful I am for the people in my life here.


 I just feel the need to share my gratitude list with you.  I may not see you every day but I want you to know that you are never far from my heart.

1.  A gracious, merciful, wise, and forgiving God
2.  A strong, caring, and loving husband
3.  My precious gifts of Robert and Emma Grace
4.  The family that we had to leave behind
5.  Our tremendous support system in Shanghai
6.  Lessons I am learning about myself and my faith
7. Pastor Kevin and his passion for teaching God's word
8. The time to spend with family, friends, by myself, and with God
9. Roof over our heads and good food on the table
10. The means to purchase things that make our life more comfortable, nuture creativity, and the opportunity to give to the church
11. Creative gifts and talents, the desire to use them, and share them with my children and friends
12. Laotong is a Chinese word that means "old sames"  Young girls were carefully paired and they became laotong.  They built their friendship into a lifelong relationship. They were deep-bonded friendships that  survived distance, hardship, and even death.  I am so grateful for the "laotong" that I have in my life.
13. The smooth transition into our life in Shanghai


I hope you take the time to thank God each day for the things for which you are grateful.

Our Newcomer team at church

Whose Idea Was It to Go Shoe Shopping This Week?

It's hard to believe that my first visit to Shanghai was a year ago this week.  It is an exciting time of year in Shanghai.  It's fall!  Mums are all abloom at the flower markets, moon cakes are for sale EVERYWHERE, and the Chinese flag is hanging from just about every thing in sight.  It's time for the Mid-Aututmn Festival and China's National Holiday.  Mid-Autumn is based on the Lunar calendar and everyone eats mooncakes.  While they look pretty, they generally don't taste very good.  Unless of coarse you enjoy eating red beans or green beans inside your cakes.

Pretty packages for a special time of year

I chose the good one.  It tasted like vanilla
on the inside. 

                          

 National Holiday celebrates the 63rd anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the Communist governement.  There are Chinese flags, people, police, and military all over the popular places in Shanghai.  We were told that most folks leave Shanghai during the holiday since we get a week off to celebrate.  That is really not the case.   There are people everywhere and we decide to take the children shoe shopping in the middle of it all!  The police and military served as traffic cops.  It is really a sight to see thousands of people move across the street based on the whistle of a policewoman or stop with the same.  The soldiers created walking  paths going in both directions.  It was awesome to see how peacefully that many people could move.  The Chinese Military has to have the tallest men in China.  We had to look up at them to take their pictures.  It was cool to see them moving in formation and standing above most of the crowd.

It took us about three steps to fit into the crowd.  An older woman gave the children Chinese flags to wave while walking Nanjing Road.  Nothing will turn a head faster than Western children waving Chinese flags.  I didn't think it was possible, but we turned Nanjing Road into a photography circus.  Even Emma Grace, who generally adores getting her picture taken, tired of the attention.  Had she been wearing her new shoes, that may have been a different story.  She was tired and ready to ride the river boat.  Which turned out to be an impossibility that night as well.  Just too many people and too long a wait.  So we decided to call it a night and wait for Jacky, our driver, to come pick us up.  That turned out to be the most exciting part of the the evening since we had to ingnore several policemen and trounce on the all the freshly planted red flowers in order to dive into the van while it was parked illegally on the side of the road. 

 

Thankfully, Jacky is a fast talker and a fast driver when he needs to be.



Happy Girl with three new pairs of shoes

Robert making friends with the police.