I’ll admit, that packing to relocate for a developing country longterm was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
With a limited amount of space, you’re always wondering- do I need this? Is this important to me? How much can I live without it?
When there isn’t online shopping, no real malls, and you don’t have regular visitors, these decisions become crucial.
Yet, as a parent, your heart softens too. A packet of 美珍香pork floss isn’t a necessity, but you pack it to surprise the kids. Life can go on without 排骨汤, but you pack Bak Kut Teh packets because of the comfort they bring. High-quality toys from home aren’t critical, yet they add a special touch.
But this Chinese New Year reminded me of something different. In a time where everyone is wishing greetings of abundance, I’m experiencing it differently—
— Where I once had a scarcity mindset and could only see lack and shortage where we live, I saw how God could open doors to coordinate a Nigerian-American Neurosurgery resident doing an elective here but who had headed back to USA for Christmas to bring a package of Mandarin books to our kids, which also contained one packet of red packet envelopes, a central tradition in CNY.
Chide me if you must, but I didn’t bring a single CNY decoration or any red packet envelopes. God knew, and He sent the people who didn’t know to provide what I didn’t think we’d need.
On morning of CNY, even before I’d gifted our kids red packets of their own, I awoke to find one under my pillow by my 5-year old, with a handwritten Chinese character 乐 (meaning joy) and a 10’000 shilling note under it.
With every red packet envelope having an individualized blessing, I found it interesting how my 5-year old chose this one—-如意 (rú yì) is a Chinese phrase that means “as one wishes” or “according to one’s desires.” It conveys the idea of things going smoothly and aligning with one’s hopes or expectations.
Perhaps, CNY is more than the snacks we miss or the festivity around it. I’m grateful, that for a time of year so laden with painful memories for me, that I get to recreate it completely differently on this side of the world with joy (乐）, as I wish, 如意。
I’ll never forget, how our children chose to bless us, and how God orchestrated the impossible for us to receive these just in time.
I’m reminded, that just because something in the past caused us so much pain before, doesn’t mean we have to throw it all out — we can recreate it the way we want to.
In CNY tradition, it is the parents who gift their children red packets. But I’m so grateful, that my children’s act of generosity and love to me first inspired me to reinstitute some traditions again, just without the baggage.
So we gave them not just cash in Tanzanian shillings, but little wildlife postcards with our handwritten notes. Perhaps, this will be our new CNY tradition moving forward.
