Fall is peeking around the corner

I meant to write some more of our Beijing trip but I was sidetracked by a brisk, cool, fall air and the summer heat just became a memory. I love fall. I love the cool "shorts and sweater" weather that comes with it.

It just so happened, as I was tidying my papers, that I came across crock pot recipes. I can't wait to get at 'em...the savory stews...yum and off course, to finally turn the oven on...yeah, banana bread...mmm...adding to this list all the fall activities: apple picking and apple pie; Halloween Party; raking those colorful leaves...aah...fall is coming...

Beijing-A Whole New World

Roof ornamentations from the Forbidden City...this is just to whet your appetite. More details to come.

Mother's Day

This will be the first mother's day without my mother. It is particularly hard as I miss her presence very much. I miss the way she laughed. It was loud. Come to think of, she was just loud, more so as her hearing started to deteriorate. I miss her stories and gossips of friends and relatives. I miss stopping by her house to eat filipino dishes. I miss the way she lived, according to her terms.

I miss her phone calls. She would call me up at home and ask "are you home?" That used to really bug me. I would think up of ways that I could possibly answer that question...although I never dared. She would also call me to run errands for her. I always thought it was such a bother.

But here I am, facing mother's day. If I only knew, what I know now...If I had more days with her...if only she would call and ask if I was at home...if only she would ask me to run errands for her...as bothersome as she may have been, as annoying and bossy as she could be...if only she was here, I could tell her how much I love her and appreciate all the things she did for me...if only...

When I lived in the Philippines. I spent a great deal of summer and Christmas vacations in this tiny island. It is a place inhabited mainly by my mother's family. It is a place where relatives would get together to celebrate. It is a place with big arms to welcome you. It is a place that my mother calls home. After 30 years of living in the US, and a year of traveling back and forth, my mother will make her final journey home.

It was her wish, it was her hope, so, Nanay maayong pagsakay. Ang Dios magauban kanimo.

The Three Wise Men

Yesterday at church, the children heard a short sermon about the three wise men who "went home by another way." Lesson for the children is "finding a way to do things differently." And what better way to start something new than the new year. I am determined to do things differently: to eat healthier meals, to excercise for at least 20 minutes each day, to be mindful, and to make connections and build relationships. You see something happened in 2007 that was a cause for pause, which allowed me to rethink my priorities and all that. But it is still fresh in my heart and mind and for now this is all you need to know.

the beginning

I am entering the world of blog with nothing much to say except this is all you need to know for now.