Bamboo Sketches
by Charity Lee Jennings
Juggling Dreams and Family
As the river of 2018 sweeps me away, I grab a tree branch, and look back. The current of life moves faster every year and I don’t want my story to be just a blur. I want to remember. Looking back, I see years of tension, trying to find balance between family and...
The Spirit of a Child
My daughter was already pained that I wasn’t getting any surprises for Christmas, when we arrived at the store. Close your eyes, she said, and hid something in the cart. I smiled, then wondered what the sales clerk thought when I turned my back while my daughter...
12 Days of Christmas & a New Year Collage
You know that feeling when you’ve spent two hours preparing a meal and everyone finishes eating in twenty minutes? For me it’s an energy slump and my mind goes a-blur. I feel the same way the day after Christmas. I can never pull myself out of bed and the details of...
A Different Sort Of Resolution
Something shifted that day, though I couldn’t put it into words. A speaker said something I’d never heard before. He admitted weakness to a crowd. Without knowing it, he offered me an invitation, but I couldn’t accept. I was afraid. As long as I remember, I’ve...
4 Things I Love About Christmas In China
It's easy to focus on what we're missing by not being in Canada for Christmas. But after an expat friend travelled home for the holidays, she told me how much more she appreciated Christmas in China. So although I haven't gone home for the holidays since we left...
Mandarin Minute – Merry Christmas
Say Merry Christmas with JiaJia and I, and learn what it's like to spend Christmas in China. And here's a super short clip so you can practice. For more about Christmas abroad, read: 3 Things I Miss About Christmas In Canada Come back next week for an...
Gift For A Spouse?
I’m not going to give you any gift ideas for my spouse - I don’t have enough to share. Sure I have a bundle of ideas - but they’re for the kids, or things Brian can buy for me. I’ve tried shopping the top lists of things for men, but my husband’s pretty practical. He...
Mandarin Minute #4 – One to Ten
Join JiaJia and I as we chant from one to ten, with a twist!
December’s Blossom
“Mom, we should collect these to decorate for Christmas.”
“I wish we brought a bag.” But that didn’t deter her. Blossom gathered a handful of the eucalyptus seed pods that littered the path. We use them in place of pinecones, which we rarely find, their earthiness brings the warmth of Christmas.
“Mmm, mom, smell.” Blossom held a pod to my nose and I breathed it all in: the healing scent, the sun catching her blonde hair after weeks of smog, her shining face turned toward mine.
Baby Bonsai
Here it is: my baby bonsai. Have you read the inspiration behind Baby Bonsai?
One Thanksgiving, Then Another
"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." Sarah Ban Breathnach Fall means one Thanksgiving, then another. That’s how I...
Dad Might Come!
I confess, I’ve been nervous about sharing this post. So nervous it took me months to finish. I fear disappointing people and didn’t know if Brian’s dad would be comfortable with me sharing my own disappointment. Thanks Dad J for sitting with me, answering my...