Friday, April 1, 2011

我 爱 我 父母！

I love my parents!
These are my beautiful parents. And when I say beautiful, I mean their faces AND their guts. I thought about flying home to attend my grandfather's memorial, but I just couldn't swing it without borrowing money... and I already owe them $1000 for paying half my tuition (just defended my thesis in February... that's right: it cost $2000 to talk about a paper I wrote for an hour or so with a few professors. Granted, the professors are AMAZING people, to whom I am eternally grateful for contributing to my education...). Anyhow, I did not approach the subject of flying home with my parents because I'm in a hole. Then, I got a short and sweet email from my momma: "Can you come to Grampa's memorial? We will buy you a ticket." Yippee! Thank you, Parents!

The planning of my grandfather's memorial has been a joyful bonding event for the Secor/Schute/Etc. family. Group emails literally warm me up several times a day (and that beautiful Beijing spring I was reveling in went back on vacation...it's cold here again, so I'm loving the cyberlove). Family members are compiling a list of Grampa's favorite songs to play at a low volume before, during, and after the memorial service. And I'm not talking about elevator music. Grampa's favorite album was The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A few Rolling Stones songs will also be played. The CD we plan to make will be full of great tunes. And my cousin Serena, who Grampa called Cinderella, is collecting photos of our grandfather and putting together a slideshow. She reportedly has some of him as a baby and child. Yay!

Thank you for financing my trip home so I can participate in and attend Grampa's memorial, Momma and Pappason! I will see you soon!

Ken Secor 11/1/2009

Date of the memorial: 4/23

I will head out the 14th and come back the 25th =)
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 2, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    Wow! that was quite an emotional ride! Sorry to hear about the lose of your Grandpa...amazing to read about his adventures.
    Love! love the birthday face paint! Happy BIG 34!
    Are you sure the Ikea napping wasn't staged for your bebefit!
    So glad you'll be here to share with your family in the celebration of your Grandpa...your parents do rock!
    Celine

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  2. Shawna SecorApril 3, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    Thanks Celine, not only for your comments; it's nice to know someone reads what I have to say =) I hope all is well with you and yours. And I can't write something to you without telling you about my hair: it is growing at breakneck speed. Of course, I have to pull down ringlets to really see what's going on, and they pop back up when released. But I can tell it's really long wet =)

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  3. Lori J.April 16, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    Shawna, I had no idea this was the reason for you coming home. I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm so glad you get to be a part of his memorial afterall. Yay for awesome parents!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Joseph HeadyApril 20, 2011 at 7:03 AM

    Hey I'm moving to China in August! woo! I'm 20 and want a change in my life. One-way ticket departing SFO August 17th to Beijing! Sorry about your Grandpa.. something I told a good friend of mine when his father died..

    the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.

    cheers to a new chapter.

    best of luck!



    -Joe

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