January 23, 2012

Year of the Dragon

image via Daily Mail via EPA

For those of who celebrate it, today marks the first day of the 15 day celebration of the Lunar New Year. It's a wonderful time for the Asian culture and for many, the most important holiday. Families get together, celebrate, gift "red envelopes" to the unmarried juniors, and eat a lot of great food. I have fond memories from my childhood of the joyous celebrations my family and I had together - albeit small in size and short-lived. I refer to those memories often as an adult now. 

Since I don't reveal much about myself on this blog, this may be come as a surprise to some, but my parents passed away when I was younger (at separate times but within months of each other). A lot of cultural references are lost because I can't recall everything but I'm grateful to have what I have. Often, when I reveal this fact about myself, people react in surprise and in shock. This is mostly because they don't associate a person my age to not have either parent alive. But, it's not something I dwell on because I focus on the positive rather than the negative. Not having my parents is a part of my story but not the main subject of my life. When they passed, it was certainly tragic and sudden but my only option in life was to survive and to  keep going. This hasn't been easy but my journey has been an enlightening one.

So, during a time when many family members are coming together to celebrate, it's human nature to "look back" at where one has been and where one is now. I'm happy to have my husband and to incorporate some cultural traditions into a new life.  My wishes and desires continue to change as I continue to adapt to a new lifestyle, but I am grateful to be able to look to my past and extract all the good that can continue to live on in my future.  

Happy New Year!

1 comment:

  1. Nancy, I have been reading your blog from the first post for some time. I just like to get to know the person from earlier on. I haven't commented since but your honest and heartbreaking confession made me admire you even more, your courage to 'survive and keep going', making new family, traditions, new story.

    And yes, it was a shock that so cheerful and funny person is hiding such story which not everybody can make a past they visit whenever they feel like but subject that determines their life.

    Thank you for sharing and all the best in whatever you feel like doing. x

    ReplyDelete

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