Signs

I met up with two of my ex-students from when i was in Zhozhou last night for Peking Duck. Susan, an elegant woman who lives in Urumqi, and Liyan, a fiesty (sorry, feisty) newlywed here on business for a few days from Dunhuang in Gansu province. I've seen Susan several times since arriving in Urumqi but it was the first time i've seen Liyan since i left Zhuozhou in Nov. 2003. There are some people in your life whom you say goodbye to knowing that you'll probably never see them again. But by some miracle or sign, your paths cross again and it's a glorious reunion.

This morning I received a phone call from a good friend back home in Canada. It was such a pleasant surprise, and only until we hung up did i realize how i needed to talk to a friend, to hear a familiar voice and to talk about familiar things.

I'm not religious whatsoever, but i do believe there are signs that come into our lives that help us learn certain lessons, realize things that we may have put to the back burner, accentuate various points of views we may have missed, make us remember to be grateful and kind to one another, and to bring the fact home that there are people who you did, and continue to today, make a positive impact on.