Silly Sisters

I've seen my Mei Mei crying

I've seen her heart in two

I've seen her when she's hurting

And when she's down and blue

She sometimes needs someone special

To give her heart a gentle tug

And sometimes all she really needs

Is a great big sisterly hug

Once In A Super Harvest Moon

Sept. 22, 2010:  For the first time in almost 20 years, northern autumn is beginning on the night of a full Moon. The coincidence sets the stage for a "Super Harvest Moon" and a must-see sky show to mark the change of seasons.

The action begins at sunset on Sept 22nd, the last day of northern summer. As the sun sinks in the west, bringing the season to a close, the full Harvest Moon will rise in the east, heralding the start of fall. The two sources of light will mix together to create a kind of 360-degree, summer-autumn twilight glow that is only seen on rare occasions.

Keep an eye on the Moon as it creeps above the eastern skyline. The golden orb may appear strangely inflated. This is the Moon illusion at work. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging Moon appears much wider than it really is. A Harvest Moon inflated by the moon illusion is simply gorgeous.

The view improves as the night wears on.

Northern summer changes to fall on Sept. 22nd at 11:09 pm EDT. At that precise moment, called the autumnal equinox, the Harvest Moon can be found soaring high overhead with the planet Jupiter right beside it. The two brightest objects in the night sky will be in spectacular conjunction to mark the change in seasons.

The Harvest Moon gets its name from agriculture. In the days before electric lights, farmers depended on bright moonlight to extend the workday beyond sunset. It was the only way they could gather their ripening crops in time for market. The full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox became "the Harvest Moon," and it was always a welcome sight.

This one would be extra welcome because it is extra "Harvesty."

Usually, the Harvest Moon arrives a few days to weeks before or after the beginning of fall. It's close, but not a perfect match. The Harvest Moon of 2010, however, reaches maximum illumination a mere six hours after the equinox. This has led some astronomers to call it the "Harvestest Moon" or a "Super Harvest Moon." There hasn't been a comparable coincidence since Sept 23, 1991, when the difference was about 10 hours, and it won't happen again until the year 2029.

A Super Harvest Moon, a rare twilight glow, a midnight conjunction—rarely does autumn begin with such celestial fanfare.

Happy Autumn Moon Festival

Go To Kooooool

What's this funny face all about?

Translation:

"why does everyone else around here 

go to school except me?"

Look Mama,

I packed my backpack!

 I have been telling you for weeks...

" wo yao kooool "

(I want school)

Finally! 
We have arrived at my new school,

and here comes one of my teachers

Bye Bye Mama

I will see you after school!

(can she walk away any faster?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's the next day, 

I am ready to go to school.

Today I will take the bus all by myself!

What's taking the bus so long to arrive?

Here's my bus! 

A few short hours later....

...I did it!

What a big girl

So proud of myself

(my Mama survived too)

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Comfort Food

Our dear friend Amy is in town from China  

& she delivered a very special package to Tian Tian

it's a big backpack full of her favorite foods

from her foster family in Liuzhou

filled with local treats from her home town

pickled eggs, dried fish, crackers

all her favorites

thank you Mama and Baba Liuzhou

and big Jie Jie Liujuan

sharing with Juan Juan 

Ava Rose remembers the smell of the fish 

when Sasha Jade ate this snack in China

smelly, but oh so yummy

what a wonderful bag of goodies 

Perspective

Our Family Tree

We've added to our family tree, 

a stronger one to make

A child from another plant, 

has become our new namesake

Just as a limb is grafted from one tree to another

It alters and improves the plant, 

making it uniquely, like no other

Our family tree has been improved, 

adoption made this so

For love, much more than bloodlines, 

makes us thrive and grow

Natural Child: Any child who is not artificial.

Real Parent: Any parent who is not imaginary.

Your Own Child: Any child who is not someone else's child.

Adopted Child: A natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.

The Gift of Life

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you 
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
--- Unknown

Do not follow where the path may lead.

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

--- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our children are not ours because they share our genes...

they are ours because we have had the audacity to envision them. 

That, at the end of the day...or long sleepless night, 

is how love really works.

Not flesh of my flesh, 

Nor bone of my bone, 

But still miraculously my own. 

Never forget for a single minute, 

You didn't grow under my heart- 

you grew in it. 

--- Fleur Conkling Heylinger

Luck

I didn't come out of my mother.

I don't have my father's blue eyes.

No one in my family looks like me

People are always surprised.

I think we're a happier family

Than if we were all kings and queens

We're so lucky we all found each other.

That's what being adopted means.

by Pamela Espeland and Marilyn Nelson

To the outside world we all grow old. 

But not to brothers and sisters.  

We know each other as we always were. 

We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. 

We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. 

We live outside the touch of time.

We don't stop playing because we grow older,

we grow older because we stop playing.

Thou hast made me known to friends whom I knew not. 

Thou hast given me seats in homes not my own.

Thou hast brought the distant near and made a brother of the stranger.

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang.

  But, the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky.

  But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.

  But the man did not notice.

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born.

  But, the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.

  But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

If you do not change direction, 

you may end up where you are heading.

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,

regardless of time, place, or circumstance.The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.

--- An Ancient Chinese belief

The world is round, and

the place which may seem like the end,

may also be the beginning.

--- Ivy Baker Priest