Sharing smiles

This is a short post, quite unlike the previous additions earlier this week. The sole purpose is to share this photo. Too many times I hear, "when are you going to send me any pictures of Su?" I keep asking if anyone's looked at the blog site lately?

Well, school photos just arrived at the house yesterday. And I must say we were pretty pleased. Can anyone believe that this is the same little girl as the one arriving in our lives with only a small trace of hair and chipmunk cheeks over 3 years ago? Geez, I'm staring across my office at a photo from only 1 year ago, taken before the Christmas holiday, and THAT little girl has already disappeared, only to be replaced by the young lady you see here.

How long before she wants the car keys?

Open house

The New Year tends to bring out new goals for most. And the Year of the Pig certainly is no different for me. Most are the same: improve my diet, increase my running mileage, make more studio time, find a "happy" place with my employment picture... But the most important goal I have for 2007 is actually shared with many other wonderful individuals and involves our local temple in West Chicago -- Myogyoji Temple.

2007 has already brought about a rush of new "firsts" for the temple. Seminars at colleges. The development of new materials. Organized groups to spearhead marketing efforts. All of these becoming first-time efforts locally for a 3,000 year old religion.

Now, I'm not going to use this location as a forum to illustrate the history of Buddhism or get into discussions on whose religious beliefs are the best or most accurate or most valid. I mean, the answer is obvious, right? :-) No, I'm only using this opportunity to share a little bit about our weekend's events and the first Open House for a temple that has been in existence in the western suburbs since 1981.

Many great talents came together to put together information, materials, food, as well as provide endless amounts of enthusiasm and volunteer time. With my background, I had the great fortune of being able to contribute to the visual impact of our efforts. Starting the year with brochures and PowerPoint shows, and following that with signage and kiosk/displays for guests to view when visiting.

This past Sunday was the kick-off event. And a rousing success. Many first-time visitors showed interest, shared snacks and beverages, asked questions, and quite a few even stayed to observe evening ceremonies. What a day!

And we even had the great pleasure of having Su there to provide her personality and wit to the occassion. Somehow, she held up during the long day, only broken up by a quick lunch at El Tesoro in West Chicago (where they serve some of the yummiest authentic Mexican food in the area). She was sweet, fun, and radiant in her dress from China. She took it upon herself to go up to just about any friendly face and offer up a big "hi!" before scurrying off elsewhere.

Speaking of scurrying, 2007 is also off and running. And now, so must I...

Year of the Golden Pig

I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the Chinese New Year has taken on much more significance for us in recent years. In the past, the only reason I paid much attention had less to do with the holiday itself and more to do with the fact that overseas printing in China would shut down for a length of time, affecting any book publishing efforts I might have been involved with at the time.

But the addition of Su to our lives has opened us up to so many amazing aspects of culture around the world. And I'm not just referring to Asian history and lifestyle. All life. And with Su, we have had the incredible pleasure of now being forever linked to some of the most special people, all with equally compelling stories. In our local area, we have formed some incredible friendships with families all sharing adoption experiences. These families have become such an essential part of our lives -- even, to some extent, influencing impactful employment decisions that would have pulled us away. And we will also be eternally thankful for the opportunity to have traveled to China with some of the most wonderful families, all playing such an enormous role in making that journey so incredibly special. Fortunately for us, many of those families are located within reasonable driving distances in the midwest.

The Year of the Pig is now upon us. I didn't realize until recently that it's actually the Year of the GOLDEN Pig. I'm sure you've already heard quite a bit in the news about what this really mean. Children born this year will end up prosperous and lucky. Well, we're already as fortunate as could be. And we were able to share that fortune with many of the great friends mentioned above. And the kids? A photo alone can tell the story that all of my endless blathering would fail to communicate.

(kids' photo courtesy of Ron and Wendy -- wonderful food preparation courtesy of Wendy)

Happy New Year!