Happy Lunar New Year (usually called Spring Festival in China). It's the year of the snake and we hope it brings you all good luck. The snake is also sometimes called "the little dragon" and symbolizes wisdom and intuition--qualities of good leadership. Since a snake sheds its skin, it is also a symbol of transformation. May we all find wisdom and intuition this year to transform our fears into hopes.
I'm behind on my annual missives, and our family has suffered some difficult losses in the past two years. Michael's father, Jack, passed at the end of May last year. We feel very lucky to have had a good visit with Jack and Babs and the whole family in the spring. Two of my father's sisters, Aunt Kate and Aunt Annamary passed on. We also lost our beloved neighbor, Jim (who is related to Mary's family by marriage). All of this happened while Mary was in China. We said a sad goodbye to the brown dog, Cullen, who, at sixteen, had lived a long and happy life, accompanying us (with his sidekick, Ursula) on sailing trips on Lake Erie and backpacking treks in the Porcupine Mountains. Ursula's hiking days are past, and she rests at home with our aged cat, Shiva, and the new kitten, Prince, who loves to groom Ursula--or anyone who will sit patiently with him. Prince showed up in our corner meadow one day and nestled his way into our home and our hearts.
Last July we celebrated Ellis and Dev's wedding. The festivities were cross cultural since the couple brought traditions from both families, and lasted three days. Mary was honored to be invited to write something for the ceremony. The wedding was a highlight of the summer (of the year? of the decade? of our lives...?) to stay in a little house for nearly a week with all three of our boys and their sweethearts, and we decided to prioritize family time. Dylan and Michelle joined Chandra and Lila in Scotland for Thanksgiving; Mary and Michael joined Chandra and Lila at Ellis and Dev's in San Francisco for Christmas; and Mary and Michael joined Michael's family for sailing in the Caribbean. The Caribbean trip was in memory of Jack, who was a sailor. We visited his favorite island and sat at his favorite bar ("Jack's"), telling stories and remembering him.
Speaking of sailing, we bought a sailboat which is moored on Catawba Island in Lake Erie. It's just west of Cleveland. Michael enjoys working on it and has fitted it with solar panels and has done some magic with the electrical system so we can enjoy modest appliances even when we're not plugged into shore power. We are learning about the nearby islands and love to host visitors, so if you're up for a sailing trip, hit us up. We have been spending several weeks each summer at the boat.
Mary will go back to China for one last tour of duty this semester, and then will return to teaching at home in Illinois. She's very grateful for the opportunity to dip her toe into Chinese culture, even if she never made much progress on learning the language.
Michael has moved his private practice to Urbana and studies physics in his spare time. He will travel to China in May this year for one last chance to explore. We'll be home in mid-June.
We hope you are all well in these uncertain times, and finding ways to enrich your communities. We wish you peace and joy and courage in the coming year.
P.S. click on any of the links above for more detail or to see more photos.
