What a Difference a Year Makes...

Hi team -

It is Thanksgiving here today. Its a BEAUTIFUL fall day in Shanghai. Although I have to work today, tonight we hope to scout out a western hotel that will be serving a traditional turkey meal and at least enjoy that part of the tradition...

Mo and I were reflecting on where we all were a year ago. Some of you were flying in, others were stuck on the icy roads of Idaho (or where ever), Mo was trying to make last minute changes to our T-day plans in light of the major winter storm that came through and I was trying to prepare ourselves for the big move...

What a weird and wacky weekend THAT turned out to be!!! Can't think of too many other situations where plans were so completely destroyed. Certainly a key entry in the Larkin/Armstrong/Tanner book of funky events - right up there with "listen to the sounds of nature...PPHHRRAAAPPPP - ewe, Drew?!?!?"

I sent a broadcast email a couple of days ago outlining some of the things we are generally grateful for. On a more personal note just to family members, we wanted to add to that more specifically how much we are grateful for, and how much we love each of you. Pretty much DAILY I have conversations with taxi drivers about our large family (they can each have only 1 kid) and the question always comes up about the different personalities and situations for such a large family. We are a diverse group - and all the better for it.

May I encourage you to stay connected to one another. Besides texting or facebooking each other, I hope that you actually TALK to each other and get together from time to time. As time goes by, friends and jobs will come and go. Later in life you will realize there are few constants in life. In the end, family members are one of the only true constants. Remember to love one another.

In the day-to-day grind it is easy to focus on our immediate challenges. We all have them . . . they may be financial, or health related, or relationship oriented, or other. I hope that you frequently take the time to reflect on the GREAT things going on in your lives - but especially today (your tomorrow) I hope you pause to focus on just the blessings.

Yesterday I had to explain to a taxi driver what Thanksgiving day represents to Americans. In my poor Chinese I simplistically explained that a except for a boat full of Englishmen who almost didn't make it through the first year, America as we know it would never have existed. They could only make it through by virtue of the kindnesses extended to them by strangers - the natives in the area. I can think of no better example of how we should live our lives - reaching out to others and sharing our friendship, our skills, our abilities and our resources. Even if that is the ONLY thing we do in our lowly lives, it will be great.

Mo and I have MUCH to be grateful for - far too many things to list. This Thanksgiving, we cannot be there in person, but we can be there in spirit. Here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving with a suggestion that you make this the beginning of a full YEAR of thanksgiving wherein you and your family find a way to reach out to others and help pull someone else along.

We love and miss you all. We hope to find a way to be near a computer at times that might allow us to Skype. Watch for us....

Dad/Jay and Mo(m)