For our “Important Things in Life” free talk, we read an article by Isabel Allende about her journey of grief following the slow death of her 28 year old daughter. She talked about how in the midst of her grief, she found herself almost going through a purifying journey. Since many people here (and in the States for that matter) grieve very privately, I thought it would be valuable to talk about a grief journey through another’s journey.
I chose this article shortly after the terrible earthquake in Sichuan province that left 60,000+ people dead. We talked about how China mourned as a nation during this difficult time. We also talked about how Ms. Allende had used her grief as a springboard to reach out to others. I asked if they thought China’s people would be more likely to reach out to volunteer more. No one was sure of the answer to that question.
This afternoon, Adam and I sent out invitations to the Chinese teachers to write on the blog. I’m not sure how many will take us up on the offer, but you may see some new names show up on the blog. Hope so.
Hey, look, Alex posted below. Way to go, Alex!
