These are the people who know me and love me anyway – just as I am. I don’t need to hide away the pain and be the ever-smiling savior for them – they don’t dump shame on my head for being human or for saying the wrong thing or sometimes making the wrong choice or sometimes raising my voice. They know what’s in my heart and trust me. They see the good in me and help me see it, too, through their eyes. They are my refuge and my shelter, and my home. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
Something really precious just happened. Christina and Andrew went out last night to celebrate Lunar New Year, and this morning I wanted to hear all about their celebration. Christina told me what they did last night, and then she told me how she would be celebrating Lunar New Year today if she was with her family in Australia. I suggested that she and Andrew should go to the local Vietnamese restaurant for dinner tonight to celebrate, and I told her I wanted to pay for dinner. I got out my checkbook to write a check. Christina’s face lit up and she said that it was just like the “red envelope” – on Lunar New Year’s the young people go to their elders and give them a blessing for the new year, and the elders give them money in a red envelope. So I found an old red Christmas card envelope and put the check in there. Christina gave me a blessing in Vietnamese and then translated what she said in English – her blessing was so beautiful and dear: “Mom, I wish you much happiness…” And then I handed my new daughter the red envelope.