Here we ALL are: Meredith, Tom, Charlie, me, my mom (Lynette), Canela, my dad (Dennis), Isabela, Rachelle, David and David. This is my family on Thanksgiving Day. I am so thankful for them. What a gift from God. I feel blessed beyond measure to have these amazing human beings in my life.
I felt prompted to share my thanks due to a conversation with a friend who shared one Thanksgiving memory in her past. Her father, uncle and grandfather had a huge falling out (punches thrown and everything) on Thanksgiving when she was eleven. There are many who share this type of story. The pain people carry from past hurts committed during this time of year makes me ponder my own attitude. I desire to be sensitive to those I encounter while driving, shopping, eating, or whatever else in order to share the love I have received.
May this Advent be a time of love anticipated, love discovered and love renewed.
"We love, because He first loved us." I John 4:19
No, not goodbye to my car - just my California license plates. I am now the proud owner of Oregon tags. Does this mean I'm an Oregonian or is it just my car? It sure does look official. Oh, by the way, did I tell you I'm moving to Bend, Oregon?
Some Oregon observations:
So to speak, anyway. Today I sent my dog, Jake, to the farm. I wish that were actually the case.
In reality, I put my little buddy of more than 8 years to sleep. The form I filled out at the vet called it euthanasia. Whatever. Regardless of the terminology or euphemism used, the outcome is still the same. My dog is no longer and I am sad. 
It takes me by surprise how much emotion a dog can evoke. The loss I feel is deeper than I felt with my grandma's passing 10 years ago. Is that weird?
. . . or sharing an emotion-filled moment of congratulations, . . .
. . . having to share your Cheerios, . . .
Whether posted as a reminder to the workers in Lian's orphanage or for the foreigners who visit it, the exhortation was sobering. It certainly set the tone for my experience. 
A moment of conviction came when seeing where Lian slept.
A moment of sadness over the rejection of their birth parents.
Brought back to moments of joy with who Lian is and how her life has changed so drastically in the past three years.
Jen and Dano left the orphanage thankful for how God has put together their family.
We celebrated with ANOTHER authentic Chinese feast. The vice mayor of Gaoyou and other city officials took us to the nicest restaurant in town (I guess - I don't know how to tell the difference). We must have tried at least 30 dishes even more exotic than the night before. 
I even tried Gaoyou's specialty: double-yolked duck egg. Mmmmm! It was quite salty and made us foreigners gag. I ended up hiding the rest of mine below the noodles in my soup. 
Lian concluded our meal with a toast to her "I.E.'s", those who cared for her at the orphanage.
We had the privelege of watching the local specialty being cleaned.
This is a pagoda, although it reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Man, I've been in too many countries this year!
At the end of the day, this pretty much captures how we all felt - HAPPY!
Jon and I flew from Beijing to Shanghai on Saturday evening where we successfully met up with Jen, Dano and Lian. The next morning we took an early train to Nanjing. Do you notice anything familiar in this picture?
Across from Tiananmen Square is a clock counting down to the opening ceremonies,
Oops, sorry Chairman Mao. Didn't mean to cover your picture.
The buildings in the Forbidden City have recently been painted. . .
which accentuate its grandeur. Here is a picture of our guide Belinda (not Melinda):
The Summer Palace where the infamous Dragon Lady lived is quite lovely.
