A Day of Thanksgiving

It has been proven to us in history that time & time again, at the moments of most turbulence, the moments of adversity, and at the moments of change; if those thoughts can be captured in written words, can produce the most inspiring prose & poetry from great many in history...

This is neither my finest hour, nor my final hour; but rather, the first awaken hour of the day; the waning hours before the last call for work (for I've been on call 24/7, for the most part). Today, it shall be my much anticipated "last tour of duty" on the railway. But most of all, it is a day of reflection, a day of thanksgiving to the Lord. His faithfulness is more steady than the steel rails that I'd been riding on. His grace & mercy have embraced me with safety in the workplace throughout the 35-year career on the railway. He has blessed me with a steady source of income to look after my family. Despite the erratic work (non-)schedule, He has blessed me with the opportunity to develop a writing skill such that I may share my testimonials with family & friends; with words that I may prayerfully submit to Our Father God, to be used in His glory.

God is so good. So good to provide me with the camaraderie at work to make it enjoyable. Their stories of family, of friends, of recipes (LOL from men of steel!), of jokes, and even of their frustration in a classic struggle between labor & management; have been the bonding agents in this most unique brotherhood of railroaders.

God is so good. So good to provide my (mobile) office window with second-to-none scenery - through the golden wheatfields of the expansive Prairies (during the first 18 years); the magnificent Canadian Rockies of Jasper National Park; the gorgeous Fraser Canyon of the Coastal Mountain Range of B.C., with her abundant wildlife in their natural habitat; and the lush, fertile plains of the Lower Mainland. Through it all, I have been blessed with scene after scene of Our Father God's own majestic creation. There are simply no words to fully describe the magic, the awe & wonder of Our Maker. And for this, He deserves my utmost reverence & veneration.

God is so good. He has blessed me with the joy, the heart & will to share, in spoken and/or in written words. May these words be a blessing to those in moments of jubilation, a strength in moments of perplexity, and a comfort in moments of despair.

Dear Lord, I am here, waiting to be your vessel, to be your instrument. Amen.

My phone had just rung, it is not yet the call for work; but rather, a call from my daughter, informing me of my grand-daughter's piano recital this evening. I'd replied with these words, "My dear, I'm still waiting for the call for my "last tour of duty". Your call simply reminded me that this evening will be my last "missed-call" on my family life (missed-call for work may result in disciplinary measures). I love to be there for her, please let me know of any future recitals or any other events, for I fully intend to be part of their life, as well as Harrison's life".

Visitors to this blog are encouraged to leave a comment, as a mutual exchange of good cheers and blessings. If you have an adoption blog and wish to share, leave us an URL.

Yes, Harrison, There is a Santa Claus

In light of the fact that we'll soon be taking on the real task of raising young Harrison; in this season of Christmas, we're reminded of the True Story of Santa Claus...

As sure as Virgina O'Hanlon posed the question to the New York Sun in 1897; ultimately, the same question shall be forthcoming from young Harrison as to whether Jolly Old Saint Nick is real, or just a childhood fantasy; our answer is, may we quote the words of then NY Sun editor, Francis Pharcellus Church, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus", with address to Harrison instead.

HARRISON, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Harrison, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, HARRISON, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no HARRISONs. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, HARRISON, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Harrison.

Having learned the story of the life & times of Nicholas, the man; his long career of benevolence; and his association to the season of gift-giving; we, the parents, can only hope to fill the boots of Jolly Old Saint Nick at this time of the year, each year, to keep his spirit of gift-giving alive. In so doing, we also hope to help young Harrison in appreciating the true spirit of the season - God the Father's greatest gift of all to mankind - the Christ-Child Jesus was born on this special day, to begin His mission of Salvation for mankind -

Peace on Earth, and Good Will to Men. Amen.

Love,

Mom & Dad

Visitors to this blog are encouraged to leave a comment, as a mutual exchange of good cheers and blessings. If you have an adoption blog and wish to share, leave us an URL.

Setting the Stage for ACT II

The story begins in China:

As of 10:00 PST, the last piece of the puzzle is in place. The much anticipated TA (fondly regarded as the "Travel Approval", officially the "Notice of Coming to China for Adoption" certificate from CCAA 中國收養中心) has arrived. With that in hand, we can prepare in earnest for our adoption-journey to China for Harrison.

There will be 3 stops in China: Shanghai for some R&R, to get ourselves acquainted with the new time zone (16 hrs. diff. than ours); then onto the provincial capital of Anhui, the City of Hefei, for the official business of the adoption. The third stop of the journey will be China's national capital, the City of Beijing, for the governmental order of business.

Furthermore, preceeding to all of this, I'm happy to announce that on 20 Dec.2006, I'll be hanging up my skates, so to speak... I'll be putting my Backpack for Work out to pasture, officially closing the curtain for ACT I...

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, the new, the versatile Backpack for Toddler. This will be the official carrier for Harrison on daddy's back, navigating around the throngs of humanity that is China!!!

Thus, the curtain-raiser for ACT II.

Visitors to this blog are encouraged to leave a comment, as a mutual exchange of good cheers and blessings. If you have an adoption blog and wish to share, leave us an URL.

To Harrison, with Love

Dear Harrison, my Child:

I cried the moment I saw your photos on the proposal.

I am so anxious to meet you and hug you,
__to hold you in my arms.

As I bring forth your photos from my purse,
__and as I talk about you, my face glows & radiates in smiles.

You are growing in my heart though you are not in my tummy.

I pray for a child for years; and now,
__I praise the Lord for the precious gift of you.

Love,
Mom

Visitors to this blog are encouraged to leave a comment, as a mutual exchange of good cheers and blessings. If you have an adoption blog and wish to share, leave us an URL.