Welcome!

Welcome, everyone, who visits my thoughts! This is a place where I can think out loud as I set off an adventure of writing, writing, and writing some more!

Okay. This is officially my first reflection and I can tell that I am totally going to love this! Here I am scribbling my thoughts as I drink my favorite tea, ginger tea, as hazy skies and chilly December rolls into Tianjin, China. Grab a cup of your favorite something to drink and think along with me.

Today I spoke to a dear friend of mine through a computer screen many thousands and thousands of miles away. Upon her re-entry to her home country she received a special gift from her friend to welcome her to a new season. It was a sweet journal with a special phrase on the front written by Price Pritchett.

change always comes bearing gifts

 “Change always comes bearing gifts.” “Change always comes bearing gifts.” “Change always comes bearing gifts.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! These five words fill my heart with many emotions and several thoughts. My initial reaction was one of excitement. Gifts. I enjoy receiving gifts! I enjoy change too. Then the following entering my mind.

Change is constant as I grow.

Change gives me opportunities to learn.

Change also gives me tough times.

I have experienced through the journey of life that there are many gifts that I have received through change. The change of a special kind of love through my adoption into a Chinese family brought forth gifts. The change of a special kind of love that taught me and trained me to be a teacher brought forth gifts. The change of a special kind of love through marrying my best friend brought forth gifts. The change of a special kind of love through giving birth to my first born daughter brought forth gifts. The change of a special kind of love through adopting my second daughter from China brought forth gifts. The change of losing a stable job and trying to make things work for a year without employment brought forth gifts. The change of a special kind of love that brought me to live in China brought forth gifts and continues to bring gifts. The change of a special kind of love that is guiding me to care for my parents in their “sunset stage” is bringing forth gifts. That special kind of love is a sacrificial, overflowing, and deep love from my Heavenly Father, my Creator, the Author of my life, who brought me the most meaningful gift of all through the change that took place in my heart when I felt His amazing love as I brought myself to the foot of the cross through Jesus, His son.

This time of year, the fourth day of December, generally gifts take on a beautiful, almost extravagant appearance. ‘Tis the season when Christmas celebrations are being thought out. As I think about those beautiful gifts sweetly tucked under the Christmas tree it’s hard to guess what is inside them. I love seeing my girls come up with creative ways to figure out what is inside. Perhaps it is new underwear. That is great! It is a practical gift! Maybe some of our gifts due to a change in our lives aren’t always beautiful. Perhaps they are practical. Perhaps the gifts are a complete surprise to us disguised in an unexpected appearance. One that perhaps looks to our eyes as less appealing…..even taking on the look of trash. What is the English saying? Someone’s trash is another person’s treasure. Those gifts stemming from change may be treasures that we store up in our heart. Perhaps discovering these gifts can help our minds gain different perspectives. As I live in China some of the best gifts come in plain ol’ cardboard boxes…..stamped with official U.S. postal markings. Whatever changes we go through, there will be gifts of all kinds as we see them with our naked eye. Shiny. Ribbony. Thorny. Ginormous. Teenie tiny. Ugly. Fabricy. Newspapery. Bowless. However, I think that if we see the gifts with our hearts then our perspective changes about the change we are in…..the season of life we are experiencing right now.  Inside those gifts is something special. Encouraging. Needed. Meaningful. Mysterious. Loving. Good. I think some of these gifts are released over time. It may not be an instant and satisfying discovery. It takes time to explore our feelings as change unfolds itself around us. However short or long it takes within my life I have seen that ultimately the gifts I receive are for the growth of my heart.

I am down to the very last sip of my ginger tea before I get pieces of ginger root stuck in my teeth. My hope is that we may embrace change wherever we are, however old we are, and relish in the discovery of how things are made new, fresh, and alive. Until next time, go out and buy something that’s yummy to drink and meet me here regularly. I’m off to “cheap street” to find beautiful dried chrysanthemum flowers for my next hot cup of yummy.

With love from Tianjin, Christie