Helllooooooo!

It's been a long time, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

I drove home to Houston with a guest, Ya, my friend from China. We had a lovely drive and I learned a lot about the Cultural Revolution, which her parents lived through as young adults. Ya was born shortly after it was over. It is fascinating to hear her recall first hand accounts from her parents. One thing I never thought about is that they now have no personal or family heirlooms, they were all destroyed as a result of the revolution. How sad. Being there with Ya, who is a young woman, also made me realize that China has only been recovering from that horrible episode for her short life-time. I can imagine that the older generation's head is spinning from all the change. And really, something that never quite hit home for me is that it's only been a little over 100 years, since China was a dynasty. I knew that in my mind, but to hear Ya speak of her great grandfather who was under the dynasty rule brings the reality home.

so we had a cultural exchange going on in both directions. She enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal and tried it all, she had never had turkey before. I told her about the President pardoning the turkey and she found that very amusing.

Now I am back in Denton and crossing things off my long to do list. But I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I actually feel like I may have a handle on it.