The Wrong Hallmark Holiday

I think today is Valentine's Day. It's funny how when you live in a place that has no access to Hallmark... some holidays just fade away into memories of cute little candy hearts and red paper doilies on the window. Instead, I am listening to what sounds like the aftermath of a WWII battle as the canon-like fireworks continue to work their way through the city streets. Outside I can see the piles of red paper strewn about the icy sidewalks and parking spaces, where faithful celebrators last night steadily filled the air with ear-splitting crackling til the wee hours of the morning. In China, the New Year is upon us.

We've spent the last couple weeks preparing in our own small way for this all-important Chinese holiday. We attended some festivities with our Chinese friends, we gave nice bonus and some much needed vacation time to our faithful Ayi, we crafted some New Year Greetings and decorations for our home, and last night we made the traditional New Year's Eve fare, jiaozi.

Traditional dumplings use pork, beef, or vegetable combinations. But we decided to go with our own American flair and fill them with anything that sounded good to our Western-stunted influenced taste buds. 

The homemadeinchina menu: 

Italian jiaozi (ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese!)

Greek jiaozi (chicken, spinach, feta cheese, tomato, olive oil!)

Yummy Jiaozi (cream cheese, crabmeat, sweet chili garlic sauce and deep fried!)

If you know anything about Chinese culture, you may know that you could study it forever and always be learning more. I feel like I have barely begun to scratch at the surface of the veneer that covers the bubble that this mass of cultural understanding sits in. So, instead of worrying myself about that... we made lanterns... and sorry excuses for some Chinese characters (but the kids had fun, it was interesting, and I felt like a good mom for about an hour).

The Chinese character pronounced "fu" means good luck, blessing, or happiness. We chose to emphasize the blessing part of that and made small greeting cards for our friends and family back home.

During the New Year, this symbol is written with black ink on red, diamond-shaped paper and is plastered all over the doorways, walls and windows.

When our day was finished we had a house that resembled the war zone we felt we were in with the booming of fireworks outside (you have never experienced fireworks until you have been to China during the New Year when the arsenal that is usually only available in the U.S. to county and city officials is here unleashed to your each and every next door neighbor). In spite of the mess, we had experienced another important Chinese value, which is the wholeness or completeness of a family together. We had... and had not. I thought of all the people who were not with us. I thought about the people I know who have broken families, missing families, no family at all. I was thankful for the way we are given surrogate family members, people with whom who we may not share the same bloodline, but are surely as close in spirit as any I would call my kin. I was thankful for the way that God has surely given us blessings as faithfully as he has every other year. 

Happy Chinese New Year my friends!

Guo Nian hao

May the Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make his face shine upon you

and be gracious unto you

The Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace

Challenge #2: A Trip Down Runner's Lane

It’s week number two and time for a new challenge. This week I decided to start with another physical, health-conscious goal, but I do promise to move on from those things next week. Plato believed that the mind and ideas are closer to true reality than the physical world, so he might agree with those of you who think I’m dealing with “lesser” things by talking about eating or exercise. But somehow, however unclear it is to us now, our bodies and the way we live and interact with the physical world around us has further reaching consequences (or benefits) than we may realize. But, all the more reason to keep trying to recover their proper place in our lives and their redeeming, life-giving, even worshipful purposes.

Philosophy aside, it’s time to start running. You heard me. Pavement pounding, lung collapsing, adrenaline pumping, running! Maybe you think it’s not for you. Maybe you run every day. For me, running has been a humorous, difficult and even endearing journey that began around the time I was in middle school.

My dad was a runner. He ran a marathon once while I was in high school. If you saw him, the words that might run through your mind would probably be more like “wood chopper… nice flannel… he likes doughnuts… must have gardened today…” but probably not “wonder what his marathon time was?... wish I had legs like that…” Sleek, toned runner or not, he has the endurance and strength of a bear (they have endurance right?) and he has always encouraged me to run. When I was starting out, he told me to go ten times in two weeks and he would buy me my first pair of real running shoes. I still remember that goal egging me on when I was struggling through the first couple days of laborious breathing and screaming calf muscles.

I’ve never run fast, or crazy long distances. Mostly I have done it as a way to quickly, cheaply, and most effectively stay in shape. But there have been times when I’ve come close to loving a run for its own sake. When I lived in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming as an 18 year old, I began to run the trails in the surrounding foothills, and often found myself lost in the beauty of the late afternoon sun glittering through the golden aspens on a crisp autumn day. Ever since then I have found more joy in the moments of simple, patterned breathing and the solitude that allows me time to just think...or to reflect on the people and places I pass.

When I was in college, I ran on the cross-country team. I still can hardly believe it. But before you either laugh at me (as my aunt did, claiming it wasn’t a “real” sport), or falsely revere me, let me give you a little context. Remember the description of my dad? Well, shave off 40 years and you have the image of the young student who approached me one day as I sat in the dining hall, chomping away on lunch. He begged, pleaded, practically guilted me into joining the team, which unbeknownst to me was on major struggle street and needed any recruits they could find. The uniforms were from the early 70’s, and the waistbands had long since lost any elasticity. So, quite often, during my final sprints to the finish line I could feel them starting to inch their way down to my knees, revealing whatever other colors I had also put on that day (never expecting to showcase them to the world). It’s hard to take a runner too seriously when that happens.

In recent years, the pursuit of a running lifestyle has continued, if somewhat sporadically. Sometimes I will go consistently for months on end, continuing through pregnancies and the time constraints of young children.  But there have been times when circumstances have caused me to stop and sometimes remain that way for awhile until I get re-motivated or figure out a way to make it work again.

These past two months I experienced another relapse when my schedule didn't permit a regular run . Now, it’s back to square one, the drawing board, the tight lungs and aching, heavy shoulders. That first hill is killing me again and the second one does me in like a pile of bricks collapsing on my head. But, I know the energy it brings to the rest of my day when I have taken time to give my body a workout. I think this benefits not only me, but my family and the people I need to have the energy to be with and give to as well. I know that even though I would never dream of saying “God made me fast," as Eric Liddell once did, I do know a sense of the, "And when I run, I feel his pleasure,” He DID make me with a body that not only needs and survives on movement, but is invigorated and made more alive through it.  And part of experiencing that is knowing his pleasure in the way he created me.

If you don’t run, my advice to you is to start small and give yourself little goals. Walk fast and run for a couple minutes in regular intervals, slowly working yourself up and challenging yourself with longer times. Do what my dad did and give yourself the 10-time goal with reward of a pair of nice shoes, or running pants. TRY it… it could bring a lifetime of funny stories, healthy habits, and a nicer fit to your jeans. And for Plato’s sake, whatever form of exercise you do will help you to enjoy the body and human-ness God gave you and created you for.

Happy Trails.

You need a challenge. I am going to give you one. Because our relationship is so tightly bound together by all sorts of concrete tethers like cyberspace and anonymity, I am sure you will not be able to refuse.

I know it's a little hokey... New Year's resolutions and all, but I just can't help myself. That slim and sleek looking January 1 rolls around with it's stand-up-with-your-back-straight and suck-it-in look on it's face and I can't resist but make some pledges to change. But that is not entirely what I am challenging you with. I just think it's good to take stock. To look back and evaluate yourself in light of Truth and ask for eyes to see where humility and change are needed. Yes, of course you should be doing this all the time and not just once every 12 months, WE KNOW. It's just a way to have a fresh start, a new beginning. I think God is all about those.

So, the challenge to MYSELF is to, 1) take on these challenges in my own life (duh) since I thought of them and, 2) to write about them once a week. One new challenge every week for the 5 weeks of January. If you hate what I suggest then pick your own (GOOD GRIEF), I won't be hurt and even though we're so close, I likely won't even know about it. But, do pick your own and go for it with all the gusto of an old car spinning out in the newly fallen January snow (I tried to think of a more hopeful picture to inspire you but it is a NEW YEAR'S resolution you know...)

Because I'm in kind of a snarky mood tonight I am going to start the list off with a light-hearted one. But stay with me, we will go deeper...


Challenge #1: OUT WITH THE SODA!! (or pop or coke, or "spicey" as my kids call it)

Maybe you are already saying "I QUIT." Well, get back here. You can't. Remember our unbreakable bond?
Soda is the most useless form of consumption I can think of (right now...unaided by any research resources outside of Googling). It might taste good but it is pure SUGAR and does absolutely nothing for you besides coat your teeth and your gut with life-sucking excess. And there are so many more wonderful things to drink!
This  may or may not be inspiring anything but rage in you so I'll just say that it's not called a CHALLENGE for nothing. If you need a sugar hit, do something more natural, even eat a chocolate covered almond (mmmm... my favorite) but stop drinking plastic, hydrogenated corn syrup. I have to believe you will notice a difference in how you feel and maybe even look if you give it up. There are lots of other good reasons. Look them up:)

If you get bored by water, drink it anyway, but add something else fun. I have to have a sugary mug of chai tea every afternoon.

I wish you all the best and promise to have a less diet-infringing challenge next week, possibly even something that deals with the soul instead of the ever-popular health of our bodies!