What kind of human being does not make mistakes? I like to know if such breed do exist. Some people dread mistakes and treat them like diseases. They would do anything to forget about them, sidestep them, minimize their negative impact on others, pointing finger at others or plainly denying them.

I also know of a person who would look over someone's shoulder all the time, double check everything others do, making comments or asking questions many times to get assurance that things are carried out alright. And how about following other people to corner them or to turn enjoyable activities into rituals to garantee results.

Such person is not likely to be creative, to be spontaneous, to be truthful because mistakes are too risky, it threaten his security, her status, his reputation. It un-nerved her whole being. It is better to stay inside his cosy cube of self-protection and defensive mechanism.

Personally, I love mistakes. As long as I can learn from them, so that I can make change of my practices and become wiser next time. Innovators and inventers had to make hundreds, sometimes thousands of mistakes before their inventions become reality to benefit the world. So instead of treating our mistakes as something shameful and feel need to hide them, the Bible says, treat them like your good friends, recall them to let them tell us what other way is better for us. Better still, share with others our mistakes, so they do not have to waste their time to go through the same painful experience. Who knows, one day our mistakes may even save our lives.

Three years ago, I heard the sudden news from one of my preschool student whose father passed away because of cancer.

Christmas time last year, I heard my friend Pam's daughter J, whose child was one of my student. J received cancer treatment last summer. But the treatment was not effectively. So she had mastsectomy of both breasts. Still it did not stop the cancer from reaching to the rest of her body. Cancer clinic said there was little they could do. Facing her mortality, she tracked down someone who went to Germany to receive a much more aggressive treatment which cost tens of thousands of dollors. Her good friends and sister did fund raising for her. Pam's husband and J's father also passed away during December. The family did not even have time to mourn for the lost one. J flew out to Germany. I went to R's celebration (memorial )service in Janurary and met the whole family. E - P's other grandson, was also my former student, the nicest and brightest boy I have ever taught, whose mom is a single parent and R was like his dad, He was the one crying most for R.

R was a small man, who appears insignificant as he had work injury years ago. He just help out anywhere that needs him. But he drew a crowd which filled the whole theatre at Surrey Art Centre and so many people told stories of who he was. Their family tie just touched my heart so much. That family has gone through a lot, yet they hold each other up even tighter than before.


This month came another news that one of my alumi, now a ten years old girl, her mother died of brain infection. I feel so sorry for the children. But that is life, it is so fragile - today we are here, but tomorrow, we may be gone.

Havn't really anything to do with Chinese New Year for many years. Was planning for a dinner for some Chinese folks from the friendship centre but caught sight of two advertisements about a movie night and a song and dance night held at two different churches. So I forsook the former plan and went with the latter.

The movie is a documentry of a billionair from China, how he gamble away all his money and lost his soul until he was found by the love of the Christians and Christ. Now he and his wife do one thing very happily in Vancouver, spreading the gospel. They also came to the movie night and share their joy with us.

The celebration night was awesome too. Really nice performence from the most famous Chinese dance school in Vancouver, a worship dance troup by Korean youth, more complex than anything I have ever seen on TV, a lawyer who sang 2 Elvis Presleys song, a beautiful Chinese
gooshang (harp) player, a soprano who compose her own song, I have never seen such lenky lady with such glass breaking voice ( most of the European sopranos are quite chubby), a team of young people playing modern music with the old chinese pantatonic instrument and a lovely
choir with a 90 years old conductor. Finally an introduction of the work of ccmcanada. I didn't even know there is such a big organization that covers the work of all ages near Metrotown. It is all for the glory of God.

They almost brought tears to our friends eyes. Because of all that, L & W who grew up in an
agnostic enviornment of China, start to ask many questions.

For the last few years, I have heard and read about grown up children who do not want to leave home because life is too much a struggle out there in the world. On the other hand the rich parents have money to buy their children whatever they want and much prefer that they stay around doing nothing.


Lately, I have given a lot of thought on how characters are made. Now that I have lived long enough, to be able to look back, to base my assumption on experience and no longer on what the books say, I am in final agreement that good character requires the refining of the 'furnance of life'.



I further examine the idea of a young plant which was once nurtured to life in a warm house and was transplanted outdoor later to grow into a big tree, I can only say, the warm house period is like the gestation period of a human life, no sooner when the young plant is a few inches tall, they are put out to survive in the elements of nature. It may survive or it may die, depending on what it has to take - flood, drought, heat or cold, year after year.



There are a lot of human beings who have to go through similar experience like a plant in the nature, life may norished them, toughen them, warpped them, contorted them, strengthen them or killed them. Except for those which live in a warm house enviornment for too long, like a quarter of their lives, without undue exposure to hardship, a tree that old will most likely not be able to withstand transplanting sucessfully and a human being, unprepared for life.

Human beings always think we have a better way of doing life, planning for the outcome. It is none the less, far from the truth because we have not live our whole life to accumulate enough knowledge and wisdom, nor able to discern what is to come to navigate the course of life. So whose fault is it for a generation which never grow up. I don't think it is the children's, since they are the one under the influence.

The Bible is a compact record of a few thousand years of human history, not about the frivolous things nor the accomplishment of human beings which are followed by controversal results, but about character and relationship with our creator God.

Someone says, the first pioneers in North America was very close to the ideal life. Imagine they had to cut down numerous giantic trees to clear land for home stead, garden, and farmland.
Not one family could do it on their own. So neighbors had to help each other out. If they were
new to the land, they had to survive the bitter winter with very little, not to eat away their precious seeds to be planted in spring. Women had to bear children year after year. Many of the children wouldn't even survive infanthood. People worked before sun up to sun down. Mothers would be making and mending clothes by the oil lamp. Yet all these taught them to be thankful for what ever little they had, recognizing many things are not in their control and life is fleeting .They could only casted their hope on God for a better future (in heaven). That is all life is about and it was not hard to come to the conclusion. But it is the opposite for people nowadays, being cushioned by materials and technology, men lost the vision and the real meaning of life.

Instead, we just scramble to get as much as we can as earthlings. Stephen Kings said....."we are as broke as the day we were born on the day we die." The Bible says, "we gather much money but not knowing really who will get them after we die" (for riches and wealth can change hands so quickly.) What the simple can learn in daily struggle, Others have to learn it in castastrophies.