Hi everyone. I am on the road, going to visit Granny Han and her children.  Not there yet, but will be soon -- tomorrow morning.  I am so excited to get to see them and see how they are doing.  Then I will be going to Qing hai province to visit a lama who paints thangkas for the May Day holiday.  So you won't hear from me until I get back in May.  Meanwhile, have a beautiful golden spring. 

Be well,

Elyn

Recently I read an article about a famous children’s book author from China named Bing Xin. She died a few years ago at the age of 99, leaving behind a legacy of dozens of beloved children’s books and stories. She chose topics about the family and nature, and her stories have been in the national textbooks for elementary school for generations. My daughters read her story about a making a tangerine lantern when they were in school in Nanjing. Her stories were encouraging – she wrote: “Walking on the long road of life, with love on the right and sympathy on the left, is just like blossoming and seeding. Travelers on such a scented journey will neither feel pain when stepping on brambles nor taste grief when shedding tears.”

As did all authors during the cultural revolution, things were not easy. She stopped writing for years until 1980, when she picked up her pen again and began to write stories to expose or expound on different social problems such as reform in rural areas, education for women and children, and the treatment given to intellectuals. Her soft language changed, and she was known for being very direct, pointed, and fearless with her honesty. Bing Xin was once asked by her daughter why she was restarting her career in her eighties. She answered, “Forget whatever should be forgotten, so that you can remember what should be remembered.”

It is funny how negative things can stay in our mind rolling around getting in the way of forward motion.  Bin Xing's amazing line is one I like to keep up on my wall -- the reason why we should forget stuff is so we can remember what counts!  And isn't that a brilliant flash of light?

  A short summary of Granny Han's situation:

"Granny" Han Rufeng, a retired teacher, discovered that no special education school would take her grandson because his IQ was below the cut-off of 50. So in 1999 she set up the Peng Cheng School, which has become a model of compassionate education and therapy for developmentally disabled children.  The school now helps boys and girls achieve basic education and life skills, and dispenses medicine, food and love.

Children who once could not talk or wash themselves are learning to read; despite a variety of disabilities, many of the students are making remarkable progress.

On September 9, 2004, Peng Cheng School celebrated the opening of its permanent school. Granny Han and her team of dedicated teachers can now continue to transform the lives and futures of children whose lives would otherwise have no hope for an education.