Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Retiring in Maryland Finally - A Tranquil Life of my Home
Retiring in Maryland Finally - A Tranquil
Life
Life is a passing phase. I thought I was capable of holding on the phase
of being a loving grandmother, a full-time super Nanny, of my grandson, Forest
for at least a year. I found out that it’s simply not possible! My
back – lumbar 4 would not hold up. It gave out on me at the end of April.
A
little more than six months in southern California – Ventura, I never thought I
would be raising kid at my age. All of that was supposed to be behind
me. My work was always the center of my life for the past 38 years
in America. I left behind dreams of leisurely living after the
announcement my formal retirement on January 1, 2014. I regret for not
taking “grand parenting class 101” before my California adventure. The
basic issue of maintaining my own health and well-being physically and
emotionally did not meet challenges and demands of parenting.
Finally I am back home in Maryland. The overwhelmed feelings of stress,
worry, anger, resentment, guilt and grief and mourning for my daughter’s
mother-in-law, grandson Forest’s grandmother passing away on May 19, 2014 were
all buried in the past.
One day of this week, I looked out the kitchen window when I was on the
computer. The deer with short antlers came by in the backyard enjoying
the free feed from the mulberry tree. He is part of our Chang family
member now. I thought there used to be three – Ma, Pa, and the little one
in our backyard. Where are they now? It’s only six month I was
away. I planted the mulberry tree about 20 years ago. It’s only ½
foot tall then. It’s so tall now that 30 feet ladder has no use for
getting the fruits.
I
took the camera shooting the pictures of DEER CHANG, who seemed to be basking
in my company, looking right into my camera lens. There was one cute
squirrel crawling so slowly up the cherry tree. That fuzzy little fellow
was having a nice mid-morning snack of cherries. Not like that Big Chang,
showing no signs of nervousness and scare, the squirrel got away from me.
There was one thing I found out I missed dearly - that was the chirping garden
songbirds eating the cherries. I remember Eric, my son used to complain
in his bedroom, “those darn noisy birds woke me up 5:00 O’clock in the
morning!” Now, he is also away from his old house where he was
born! His room now uninhabited and converted to Forest’s nursery when he
spent four days with us visiting in June. He said jokingly and fondly to
him, "you little rascal, you took over my room!" Am I longing
to hear his booming voices echo through the house? Yes or No.
What a tranquil scenes of my home. I could easily collect about two pints
of mulberries each day this week picking them up from the ground. Those
red tart cherries are not bing cherries you see from the supermarkets.
They are for pie baking or jam and jelly. I used the ladder, fighting
with gnats biting me crazy, picked up some to share with old friends, neighbors
and choir members. My walking partners had a little fun with my summer
fruits as well. One of them, a good cook, will show me how to make cherry
and mulberry jams next year for Forest, my grandson.
picasa link:
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
(陳 麗 玉) 原來 支撐我成為勇者的 是我摯愛的你
原來 支撐我成為勇者的 是我摯愛的你
小寶貝啊
你圈著我頸項的小手
是那麼的柔弱
教我愛憐
你貼著我臉頰的細嫩皮膚
是那麼的甜美
你靠向我的纖弱肩膀
是那麼的單薄
但是 我的嬌兒啊
你卻擁有這世上最巨大的力量
教我挺然無畏 昂首闊步
原來 你那瘦弱的肩胛
才是我的依靠
原來 支撐我成為勇者的
是我摯愛的你
謹以此文
獻給 Forest 最親愛的父母
以及對他關愛有加的親人
親愛的玉琴,收信平安:
好令人心動的
baby
在濃濃的愛裡長大的他
用純真無邪的笑容
回報這一切的嬌寵
世界對他來說
是多麼的新奇
Forest is so great.
我開始懂得
那揪著您心的掛念
是血濃於水的親情
也是一個令人疼惜的新生命
脆弱的呼喚
感謝您讓我分享您的幸福
在陪他長大的過程
再度用嬰兒的眼光
重新經歷這初啟的世界
每個角落
每一朵花的香味
每一聲鳥鳴
都那樣的新鮮迷人充滿趣味
對於在歲月中被生活磨練得漠然的心
您的寶貝 為您注入了新生命
祝福您 祝福這世上最珍貴親人間的牽繫
在您們的照護下
祝福可愛的
Forest 一天天健康長大
順頌
闔家平安
Eulogy for Pat - My Grandson's Grandmother
Eulogy for My Grandson, Forest’s Grandmother who passed
away on May 19, 2014
Hi, for people who don’t know me, my name is
Janice Chang, Celeste’s mom and Hans’ mother-in-law. Looking at all the pictures displayed outside, it immediately
brought back the best memory I had for Pat. It seems like just yesterday - the graduation day for both
Celeste and Hans at UC Berkeley MBA program. That’s May 16, 2008 2:00 p.m. at Greek Theater. I remember vividly. It was brutally hot 105 degree. Liz, Pat’s sister, Pat and I all had
the hats on plus the umbrella that Pete, who was so nice to give us that for
double protection, sitting on the sizzling cement seats. We had to sit on the graduation
programs without getting our tootsies burned. …. Pat was so
calm and easy-going, patiently telling me her American stories of mid-western
life styles - how her childhood was and the lovely family members of her life,
brothers and sisters, Pete, and the children Hans and Rachel. That’s just our first formal meeting. We were not even co-mother-in-law yet.
I tell you, I already liked her a lot then; she’s just like my best high school
and college friend who was filling me in all the past good and bad old times. Yes, It’s her even-tempered, poised
personality that made the stories feel like a cool breeze in that hot memorable
day.
We officially became co-mother-in-law on August
8, 2009 when Hans and Celeste got married. She would always call or e-mail me about her well-being. In November 2011, I would like to
invite her to travel with me to Taiwan, when I had the world college reunion
then. That was one year after both
Celeste and Hans and the families from Chang’s and Wu’s had a post-wedding
celebration in Taiwan. It did not
work out as we expected, because I was concerned that the long travel, the semi-tropical
weather and other issues might be an inconvenience for her. I know she would have liked it very
much to hold my hand and hear my Chinese American story I had promised her
before.
One thing I know I will always miss is her
writing. The letter from Nana I read several times since, I hope I will
read it to Forest one day, and the yearly Cole family report. It’s always timely
around the Christmas. It’s full of
loving words for Pete, Ike and Addie – the grandchildren… and of course, the wry
and ironic political humors were peppered everywhere. I have not shared with her my family’s split Republican and
Democratic political feud yet.
Our grandson baby Forest was born
last year September 4. She and I had
talked about visiting California with different schedules to help out both Hans
and Celeste. Unfortunately, she
was not able to make it. Instead,
I was the lucky one to spend about 6 months with them. It’s such a joy to watch Forest’s
growth everyday and read the books she mailed to him frequently. When the package arrived at the door,
most of the times it’s Nana’s books for Forest. I know she would like to use the books as the catalyst for
her grandmotherly love. Pat, I
know Forest loves the books you sent to him, because Celeste, Hans and I read to
him everyday. For bedtime routine,
he would always focus on your books, sitting on my lap, totally responsive and
fixed his eyes on the page.
Sometimes, he would turn the page for me. When I said, “the end” at the last page, he would flip the
book to the beginning with his tiny hands, then I would repeat again for the
second, the third, and the fourth time for him, until he had no more energy
left to do so.
This eulogy is also a “thank-you” note to you,
Pat, from my husband, Ben, who is sitting in the back, and my son, Eric who
can’t make it today. You have left
the legacy of your love of books and writing for all of us.
(鄭素娥) - 香港迷你同學會
2014-5-31香港迷你同學會
5/31
我跟霞慧及禮君三人一下飛機,林釗及嘉和夫婦已經迎了上來,幸福的我們開始了快樂香港遊了。
林釗開著車,在擁擠的假日人潮及車潮中穿梭著,霞慧和嘉和沿街採購晚餐美食。我和禮君在車上,觀賞林釗飼養的璀璨鬥魚及孔雀魚影像,林釗不厭其煩地講解,令我們欽佩他的精銳鑽研。
夜幕中,望著窗外遠處的點點漁火,及岸邊燈火的璀燦夜景,幸福滿滿。
6/1
清晨六點,陣陣鳥鳴喚醒我,漁船的馬達聲,呼引我到窗邊,搶拍朝陽將光影緩緩鋪灑在窗下的屋頂及樹梢間。遠近的漁船及貨輪,已經忙碌地將窗下的黃金海岸,鑲嵌成一幅千變萬化的圖畫。
嘉和帶著我們三人到西貢,近午時分,假日人潮熙熙攘攘,總算一睹這大名鼎鼎、狀似淡水漁人碼頭的海岸景觀。海產店老闆,都還認出嘉和是當年的鮑魚大姊呢。
6/2
在香港動植物公園,烈日當空,我們只得匆匆看幾眼炫麗的紅鶴後,就開心地晃進半島酒店的大廳,吹吹冷氣,再搭上香港特有的雙層巴士回屯門廣場,享用飲茶,真是大快朵頤喔!
睡個午覺後,五點半的夕陽仍炙熱。我們走向窗外那片黃金海岸,戲水人潮擠滿沙灘,烤肉區傳來陣陣香味。半小時後,黃金海岸酒店映入眼簾,脫掉鞋子,雙腳浸在清涼海水中,依依不捨地送走夕陽餘輝。
連續三個晚上,林釗都與我們一邊吃晚餐一邊敘舊。今晚又跟禮君對飲啤酒,品嘗著港式粽子及咖哩螃蟹,還有鮮美的叉燒肉,笑鬧聲該已響遍天際啦!我們居然在林釗家過端午節喔!
五人的迷你同學會,讓我們更加想念老友,於是林釗廣發邀請函,歡迎老友到林家作客喔!
6/3
四天的假期已近尾聲,三人都賴在窗邊的沙發椅上,捨不得離開望眼的夢幻海景,直到林釗電話催我們上車,只得拿起行李下樓了。
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