“Are You Home for Christmas?”
This year, I’ve promised my husband to be in Boston for Christmas and New Year. For the first time, it hit me how important it is to him that we celebrate Christmas, not in New York (my old home), or in Hong Kong (my hometown), but Cambridge our new home.
I realize that his heart is forming roots to this place where we’ve settled down for more than two years now. And in this season of longing, this is where he feels he belongs. For me? It seems that I always feel I belong where I am most needed. Last month, I was able to spend more than two weeks with my father in Hong Kong, sitting with him mostly in silence while watching him watch TV, eat lunch or nap in the daybed as he coped with numerous issues including Alzheimer and Parkinson.
A conversation was nearly impossible due to his cognitive decline and hearing difficulties. My gift for him was nothing more than my presence, punctured with periodic storytelling. Our quiet time together – my sitting by, being close, rendering care and reminiscing the way my father once was, the way we once were. I tried not to think about the future, but fully immersed in the moment we were sharing. How do you savor your time with your family?
Listen to our latest podcast episode “Are You Home for Christmas?”
Our website bloggers Fang Guo and Xiao Fu had both written about their changing relationship with their parents earlier this year in “The Day My Father Fell” and “Dreaming of a New Beginning”
Now, our listeners request to hear their voice narrating their blogs for this Holiday Season. I hope you’ll find them a cozy companion to your thoughts about our evolving identity and ties to your home.
We want to include you in this conversation.
To send us your stories, just go to our Facebook page or our website at ChinaPersonified.com under “Pitch a Story.”
Share your thoughts? Pitch me a story?
“One in a Billion” is listening to #China, one person at a time.
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