Thirteen years ago today, my father died. Below are the words that I spoke in farewell and tribute to my dad at his memorial service on January 25, 2001, in Roseville, Minnesota. Standing before a crowd of 600 people to deliver these remarks was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The first part […]
Please Collapse on a Table
In preparation for our drive to Alaska later this month, my sister and I took a CPR/First Aid course yesterday. Since our 86 year old mom is going along for the ride as well and my sister and I don’t have any medical knowledge beyond how to affix a band-aid, we thought it would be […]
A Tribute to My Father
Twelve years ago today, my father died. Below are the words that I spoke in farewell and tribute to my dad at his memorial service on January 25, 2001, in Roseville, Minnesota. Speaking them before 600 people was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The first part of this tribute was written at […]
Over the River….
I am sure that we will cross at least one river, and we’ll definitely be driving through some woods on our way to Lutsen this morning. My nieces are scattered around the country (Edinburg, TX; Hollywood, CA; Juneau, AK), so neither my mom, sister, nor I had much interest in putting on a big Thanksgiving […]
So Long, Xiao Zhang
Xiao Zhang, who has been my housekeeper ever since I moved to Beijing in 1998 is leaving tomorrow. She and her family will return to their village in Anhui Province. It’s a move they need to make in order to improve their 13 year old daugher’s chances of getting into university somewhere. The Chinese education […]
Happy Birthday, Mom
My mom turned 80 on Sunday, and she was here in Beijing to celebrate. She and a bunch of other people. In honor of this special occasion, I decided to host a week-long “Birthday/Vision Tour” for any family and friends willing to make the trek across the ocean. 11 showed up! We spent 8 days […]
