Maintaining Perspective

A good friend sent some support last night. He pointed out that bloggers tend to focus on the negative. In tandem, he noted that psyche can be fooled into a better mood when a person focuses on the positive.

And not to diminish what I wrote last night, but things aren't all bad.

L--, S-- and I all got a good night's sleep last night. And every one of us is smiley and cheerful this morning. We're meeting some new friends for lunch today at a restaurant that is not only affordable, but also frequently chosen an expat favorite.

L-- is an absurdly happy child. She is difficult to discipline, but what 2-year-old is not? But she is also very friendly and smiley. She's open to new experiences and enjoys exploring her new home. She plays well independently and she loves to read - this morning she entertained herself for over an hour just with a few books and two stuffed animals. She is a jokester, making the rest of us laugh - especially over dinner. She's smart, already knowing her way around town as well as we do and able to identify major landmarks on the map. She is rarely bothered by S-- crying, which often cheers me up as well.

S-- is a sweet, snuggly little girl who is slowly discovering the big world around her. She gets stressed out and needs to be cared for - we easily have the power to do this. She gets so much joy just from being held, and snuggling into your arms. She is friendly, smiling and waving at the loads of people who stop and stare when we go for walks. She's always happy when around new people, and she loves riding in the stroller and watching the busy world go by. She's becoming a skilled crawler, and has just started pulling herself up on everything within reach. She'll be cruising before long. She's adventurous in food, willing to try any new food and often liking surprising things. Although quickly temperamental, if you have the time to focus directly on her, she is nothing but a little sweetheart. And really, what else do I need to spend my time on? What a great excuse not to do the dishes!

This blog has a few purposes:
1 - To serve as my journal, verbalizing and documenting my personal journey and adventure.
2 - To serve as a family newsletter, explaining to our friends and family what we are doing, what our new life looks like, and how to pray for us.
3 - To bring some organization to the process of moving to China Maybe it could become a how-to, or a memoire at some point.

An unintended outcome has been the outpouring of support we've received from many of you. I'm glad you're enjoying reading, and I thank you for your continued love, words of encouragement and prayers. We knew this would be hard when we signed up for it, and I know that things will get immensely easier as we go forward.