A Gift from Don Ho!

Just kidding. Actually, Lanhua received a surprise gift this past week from the Hull family in Chico, Ca, and what a surprise it was! The Hulls sent Lanhua a ukulele! Wow, talk about surprised; you've should have seen our little girl's eyes when she opened the package, and of course she let out her now-common expression of delight and wonder: "whoa."

Tim also included a wonderful letter that he thoughtfully had translated into Chinese. We of course showed it to Lanhua, but are unsure how much of it she understood. But you can darn well be sure that it will going into her scrapbook for future times. (Also, Tim, thanks for the very kind words about me in the letter - considering YOU are one the funniest people I have ever met - he's got funny bones, people, funny bones! - your statement about me was high praise indeed...)

Of course, I don't yet have a picture of Lanny actually playing the uke even though she enjoys walking around with it, strumming away. If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you'll know that Scout and I have an awfully hard time getting any photos where Lanny is not ducking, dodging, or otherwise covering her face and/or the camera with her hand like a starlet caught red-handed leaving a celebrity hotspot. But don't worry...we'll grab one soon and post it!

So, Tim, Brigit, Hannah, Fiona and Aaron: a HUGE thank you from the Wedel family for this very special and wonderful gift. Tim, words really fail at your family's thoughtfulness and generosity. (For those of you don't know - and that's probably all of you - Tim was a classmate and great friend of mine in high school, and someone I haven't seen in, what, 20+ years?) It makes this wonderful process we're going though even more wonderful...hard to believe, but so true. And, honestly, if I can just get up on my soapbox here, it just makes me feel good for the human race that warm, loving people like you are out there who obviously don't give a moment's thought to reaching out to a little girl you've never even met. I can only wish for more Hulls!

Anyway, Tim, you have a very, very special family, and I can't wait to one day introduce Lanhua (and the missus!) to you and yours when we next pass through the Sacramento area.

Much peace and love....