We belong to each other

I told myself I would write this blog (for me) to keep a running log of life - love and laughter - in Hong Kong, and it soon became clear it was not about Hong Kong, but just a place of remembrance for our family. I'm pretty sure most of the "views" on the site are mine, as it should be.

Six months has passed and I've written nothing, and I have had plenty of time to write, but I just didn't; I know I will regret that I have forgotten some wonderful moments. So, I begin again.

I decided the photo above was a great place to start. It's a wonderful memory for me because it's a memory of a sweet friend who has already left HK, my first encounter of loss in this very transient community.  Kim's family came to HK the month that we came in 2013. We met at the kids' school, and we soon found she had not just moved from Atlanta, but she had grown up about ten miles from me, and her parents still live there. What???? I'm 8,500 miles from Georgia!

She only stayed sixteen months. Her sweet and gentle spirit is almost too good to be true, but it is true.  She never spoke ill of anyone, she was incredibly talented and equally humble, and she loved and cared about people in a way that could only come from a higher love. And, our short, close-distance, friendship taught me a very important lesson - thankfully, early on in our time in HK; I will always jump in and embrace a gift from God, instead of guarding against the hurt that comes when the gift is not so accessible. The joy is always greater.

Mother Teresa once said, "The problem with the world is that we have forgotten that we belong to each other."