A letter to Lorraine 2022/01/17

I am so glad to receive your letter and gift on Jan 17th. The photos remind me of the days I stayed with you and Ray. While I was reading, I felt worried, nervous, and frightened. In the end, I felt relaxed. You and Ray have been taking so many medical treatments. I think that the processes must be hard to endure. Thank God and the doctors, both of you get better.

For me, 2021 was full of bad things and good things. We lost some close relatives who suffered from different diseases. Good things were as followed. Anna passed a test about her professional knowledge and skill in the special education field. She also got a higher score on the TOEIC English test which is beneficial for her to pass the Teachers Selection Procedure this summer. Skyler with classmates joined a video game design contest, passed the first stage, and he is going to make an oral presentation this week for the final stage. Hope he can get some awards. Sebrina gets an internship opportunity at a famous department store. she also passed the graduate school application, but Skyler is still preparing for his graduate school entrance exam in February.

My 2022 has a sad start. I lost my sister-in-law on Jan 7th. she was only in her 50's. The death came so unexpectedly, so her 2 daughters even didn't show up at the hospital at the last moment. Too many tears make me weak, tired, and exhausted. Last Saturday we held a funeral for her at my mother-in-law's home. I had stayed there for 9 days. Now I am at my home again.

The winter weather is always cold and cloudy in Taipei. The sky is gray outside. I know I should back to normal status, but I still feel depressed. I seem to forget how to smile.

By the way, during the lockdowns, I started to push myself to write down my thoughts in English. I finish several short articles. Would you like to read them? I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Grace xxxx