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26 February Bubbles, Bunnies and Sweet SojoI can't believe it has been over a week since I have "blogged" about that sweet Sojo. I miss having my own pictures and stories to go with them. I have to steal pictures and stories from her mother.
Seems her personality is emerging and so are other traits and talents. Frustration has hit her, along with testing mama and baba. Hence the pictures below of a remorseful Sojo in her "timeout" chair for hitting her mama.
The girl loves bubbles
Now the bunny...now that is a story....noisy, hard rolling bunny given to Sojo and she loves the little guy. Mama and Baba though think it is time for dinner and not play time...finally, bunny is invited to come to dinner too with Sojo. Note...he has his own carrots to eat. This reminds me just a bit of her mother and her imaginary friends, Mousy and Squirrel. They often came to dinner at our house. You can never have too many guests for dinner. Enjoy this one: 16 February A Perfect PathToday, my beloved husband, two wonderful sons (my daughter was there in spirit) and some friends helped me build a labyrinth in our side yard. This is part two of the project...the laying of the rocks and a pilgrimage on it together.
We all find our God in different ways...we all experience our faith in different ways...we often follow different paths. Since there is but one God and He is everywhere, it really doesn't matter whether we find Him in a church filled with the scent of candles, old wood pews and the sounds of a huge choir and an organ or if we find Him on the peak of a mountain top or in the peaceful sound of an ocean wave or the glow of a sunset. It doesn't matter whether we find Him in the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit or in His Mother Mary. What matters is that we find Him, open our hands and hearts and that we allow Him to enter our lives. I go to Mass every Sunday (I might miss occassionally for various reasons) and I often go to daily Mass...I try to go at least 2-3 mornings a week. Church and Mass are very important to me. A faith community is important to me...I like to be around people who believe in the things I believe in and challenge me to be a better person. I don't think any of these things make me better or worse than the next person or a better Christian. I think they make me a work in progress...a person on a path...one who wants to grow in my faith and become the person God sees me as. One of the ways I have found that helps me find my way to God and to listen to Him with clarity is the labyrinth. My hope and prayer is that I will enter this ancient path daily, release all that encumbers me, make my pilgrimage to the center where God will find me and I will find Him and He will speak to me...where I will attempt to receive what He has to offer me...where I will pray, meditate and receive. As I return from where I came on the same path...my prayer is to be joined with God ... feeling His empowering grace and being able to do what my soul reaches for.
Here are a few pictures of this beautiful path...enter with me....
15 February Accessorize, Accessorize, AccessorizeShe is a girl after my own heart. Her mother was not so much of a girly girl. She was much happier out playing in the mud, rolling in the grass or sitting in the middle of the street popping tar bubbles. She did not have one outfit that did not have a bit of tar somewhere on it and usually on the butt. She was not a rough and tumbly girl, but she was not lilacs and lace wither. Somehow, I think Sojo will be a bit of both as she does like to climb and jump already. I am sure she will be rolling around in the grass in Washington this year. One of the things I love about her right now is that her imagination is growing and she pretends to feed her little stuffed bears, bunnies and puppies. She just got a tea set and pours imaginary tea into cups for her "little friends". Just the other day she found a few boas in a box around the house. I am told people in Shanghai have boas ... I won't ask what for. Anyway...Sojo finds the boas and puts them on and heads right for the door. If you wear something special, and we all know boas are special, you must be going someplace special...right? Right:)
Now this girl has style a& grace. I decided that it was perfect & I wanted her to know that she & I are together on this one. Boas make the girl. I am ready for a boa party and tea and all the trimmings. Bring it on sweetie. I'll bring hats & we will have the time of our lives. 14 February Happy Valentine's DayOn this day of love and sweetness, I cannot think of someone I love more or a sweeter little sweetie. Our sweet Sojo...She is better than chocolate.
My how she is changing lately. Is it that over one year old, on two feet and running, beginning to talk idea that the baby is "gone"? I look at pictures of her when we first set eyes on her in her referral picture:
From a little one who could barely hold her head up last summer and didn't like tummy time too much...
She is getting her first hair cut and learning to brush her teeth.
She has been with us for more than half her little life and it has been an amazing journey. One that fills our blessing cup to the top where it overflows and we have to drink out of the saucer. I cannot imagine our lives without her. It seems she has been with us forever. We don't get to see her or hug her as often as we would like, but feel so thankful for the moments and memories we have. We know she is giving out big hugs right now and we are a bit sad we are not there to get any of them...but, we know we will be getting some in June and we will be ready. Big hugs and sloppy kisses. We can't wait.
A close up comparison from the first picture til now:
 And a big ole hug goes out to Sojo and to her Mama and Baba...to her Gong Gong (my very special valentine) to her Jojo Sean, her Mojo Matt and her YiYi Cathy. May you all know the blessing of love in your life and know how precious and loved you are to me all year long.
07 February Jumped The GunI got ahead of myself and jumped the gun...today is really Chinese New Year (already over in China) 05 February Happy New Year
I had a bunch of other really cute clip art that I found for Chinese New Year and have saved it 5 times. This is the only one that seems to be there. What's with that? I guess ... at least this is a good one with the dragon and fireworks and the movement. Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year for the Chinese. Even the poor are given a weeks vacation to go and visit family. Most have not seen their families in a year. This year because of the terrible winter, many have not been able to make it home or may only have a day or two to visit before they will have to head on home. Tara and Dale feel fortunate that they are not traveling this holiday. Can you imagine being stuck in an airport for days with Sojo? Does not sound like a fun vacation. So they are just hanging out and having fun. Xiao Liu did not go home, so she is coming to stay with Sojo for a few hours here and there so T & D can get a few errands run. One of the Chinese traditions, in addition to lots of fireworks going off at all hours of the day and night, is to give Hong Bao. This is in the form of money given in a red envelope. I had searched on line for them before Christmas and found these beautiful red envelopes with gold embossing chinese symbols (that mean something, but I do not know what) and a chinese coin inside. We also put a little US bill inside too for Sojo. Her Nai Nai Patsy gave her one at Christmas time too. T & D put them aside to save for Chinese New Year. T & D also gave Xiao Liu one. It is customary to give your household help a bonus...much like we give to people at Christmas. I will be anxious to see just what T & D do today in celebration of Sojo's first Chinese New Year as a family. This is the year of the "rat", which sounds yukky to me because I am not a rodent fan. However, the decorations that T & D foune to put on Sojo's door, was a cute little cartoon like mouse. That I can handle. Sojo was born in the year of the "dog". I can't remember what I am...will have to look the next time we are at a Chinese restaurant and they have those paper placemats with the years on them. Happy New Year Sojo...may the year of the "rat" be one of much happiness for you. May you continue to thrive on the love we shower you with...as we thrive on the love that you shower us with. Blessings to you...
03 February Counting Our BlessingsEverytime I think of this sweet angel, I am reminded of the amazing blessing she is in our lives.
China has been slammed this year with cold temperatures and a lot of snow. I was just reading one of the Chinese adoption blogs that I became addicted to while we were awaiting Sojo's arrival, so I still check them out at times. Anyway, this particular one...the Rumor Queen who keeps everyone up on when new babies will be arriving and various issues on Chinese adoptions, was commenting on this winter weather and how the orphanages are suffering terribly from it. Many areas are without heat or electricity (even Tara and Dale's school did not have heat the other day). Many orphanages have put out pleas for help. Some asking for blankets for the babies; and bottles and food. They even needed boots for the nannies who work there. Many things cannot be purchased because they cannot get out to get them...trains and planes are not moving at normal schedules....although, they can get them locally.
There is a non-profit called Half the Sky http://www.halfthesky.org/work/littlemouse.php started for such purposes. They also do many other things...like train the nannies in the orphanages and foster families. Tara said that the orphanage that Sojo was in had nannies trained by them and she believes that is why Sojo was given such good and loving care. Sojo came from a warmer area of China (Yunnan Province), so the need is not as great there right now. However, I still cannot imagine any baby without blankets to keep them warm or bottles or food. So, I checked out this website and they have what they call their "little mouse" program that helps the orphanages during and emergency crisis like this. My Awesome BoysThat would be my wonderful husband and our wonderful two sons.
I will be turning 62 in 10 days and I wanted more than the Social Security Check that I have applied for. I asked for a pile of rocks. I am sure there are some who are wondering if I have lost my marbles, but "no"...I want to build a labyrinth.
I was introduced to the labyrinth about 3 years ago while attending a women's retreat on prayer. I was immediately drawn to it. It helped my "monkey brain" settle down and as I put one step in front of the other on my "prayer walk" on the labyrinth, I found myself spiritually centered in a way I had never been before. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of starting a women's retreat team and then I was facilitating the labyrinth section of a retreat the next year. Talk about walking a new path. I find myself seeking out labyrinths wherever I go. I have walked at least 10 here in and around Tucson...3 at a Cancer Support Center in Union, WA and 2 in Sedona. Well...with that pile of rocks I requested, along with "a little help from my friends" and my husband and sons, I will be building my very own labyrinth in our side yard. I am sure the neighbors have been wondering what Ron & I are doing as we raked the side and kept measuring and putting a rock here and there. Today...the boys came out to help Ron measuring and get it all laid out. I had found the plans for the design of a 7 circuit classical labyrinth on line and there we were in the middle of the side yard...measuring...putting stakes in and using rope to make half circles...making the lines and putting blue chalk in to be ready for the official rock laying in 2 weeks. I am hoping we do not have a torrential rain that washes it all away. I am so excited and so thrilled that we did this together. On the 16th some friends will join Ron, Sean, Matt and me to finish the project and we will have this amazing labyrinth for me and anyone else who would like...to take a spiritual walk on. Sean and I walked it today and it was awesome...just like my boys. Thank you God for new ways to pray.
Here are some pics of the project in process....all it needs to finish are the rocks to outline.
And, here is a view of the beautiful sky looking up from it today. Awesome, wonderous world we live in.... |
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