生日快樂親愛的業昇

生日快樂親愛的業昇 

Happy birthday, my dear Louie -

It’s your 11th heavenly birthday.  I’m writing to you from Taiwan this year and enjoying getting to use your Chinese name. I’ve always loved the meaning of 昇sheng, which means to rise or ascend. I cherish how it connects to your sisters' names (霞xia - dawn, 虹hong - rainbow, 崚ling -heavenly high) as they all point towards the skies.

One of the biggest privileges of our family adventure year is having time - life has slowed down for us. I’m attending a Bible study with 婆婆 grandma this year on the book of Revelation. Every week we study about the apocalypse. And your dad and I recently started watching The Good Place together, which is about the afterlife. So it’s a lot of reflecting about the end. While regularly reflecting on the end of the world and/or death could definitely be a “downer activity”, it’s not something that I avoid. While I’m certainly afraid of pain and afraid to leave our family on this earth, I’m not afraid for me in part because I get to see you again. 

There’s a song we sing at church that paints a picture of the end times (well the redemption part, not the wrath part). It took awhile to find as we sing it in English, but it's originally a song in Chinese. I wanted to share it with you.   

Verse:  諸天述說天父的榮耀 穹蒼傳揚奇妙的作為 張開雙手 萬物得飽足 萬口承認祢是我們的神 Chorus:  我們的神 坐在寶座上 聖殿充滿榮耀 萬民敬拜 全能的神 我們尊崇祢 聖潔榮耀 尊貴 能力 都歸於祢

Verse:  They heavens declare Your glory The skies proclaim, the work of Your hands With open hands, You satisfy us All will confess, You're the almighty God Chorus:  You are our God, seated on the throne Robed in glory, and power. We worship You Almighty God, We exalt Your name All the honor, and power, and praise belongs to You

We’re having a family adventure year that has been all that I hoped it to be - visiting new countries, meeting new friends, petting new animals, trying new foods, and making new memories.  It’s been such a wonderful year and yet… 

I wanted to let you know that I am even more looking forward to the day of our ultimate family reunion - a time where you are not bound by a little body with lungs that could not breathe and I was not bound to be on earth without you. There will be a beautiful family experience that is yet to come.

Until then, I miss you and love you. Happy birthday, my forever baby. 

Love, 

Mom