In the American states of Michigan and Arkansas, where we're from, tree leaves grow weak and brittle in the fall. Uncollected fruit rots away. The nests of birds fall apart. In general, the season is marked by death and dying.
But not here.
Here, in our part of East Asia, we live in a climate of perpetual life. On one hand that's a bad thing, because the dying process is colorful, after all. We are robbed of sights like this:
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| Michigan maple trees in October. Courtesy of my parents. Longing of my heart. |
But on the other hand, it's a good thing, because we never have to shovel our driveways (not that we have driveways). Flowers are always in bloom, and we never have to put away our capris! Or perhaps we should have put away our capris a decade ago?
Speaking of life in full bloom, our dear neighbors had their baby!! Daniel and I drove her to the hospital and I stayed with her through the night as she labored. The next morning, a beautiful baby boy was born, to whom I was charged with giving an English name! Zion helped me choose the name Joseph. And now there is a baby around the house again.
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| We love our sweet Joseph. |
And guess what?! There is a baby cat in the house now too! That's right. My birthday gift this fall from Daniel was a handsome boy kitten. I cried (of course), and then promptly named him Moses. He follows me around the apartment and plays with the kids and fills my days with his rumbling purr. I looooove him.
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| Here I am with both babies, on an evening when our neighbors wanted to go out to dinner without Joseph. xoxo |
