Life is the combination of countless tastes: sweet, sour, and bitter….This is life. We live on dreams, strive for dreams and enjoy the process of dreaming. To succeed in life, we have need of three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.
I never thought my life could change into something so different when I was over 40 years old. When we landed in Canada in October 2006, we were totally lost. Everything had to start from scratch: we had to register my daughter for school, learn how to take TTC, and how to get ready for the official certificates as well. We were very puzzled about what my husband and I were going to do in this new country. How many times my warm and sweet home in China came to me in my dreams, with my relatives, my friends, and my job, even some beautiful landscapes and my favourite foods would come to my mind clearly and more attractive than before. This would make tears run down my face, but I was able to hold on. I knew there was a strong voice in my heart that said, “Tomorrow is much better than today.” My wishbone helped me to survive the hardest time in my life.
My husband and I went back to study English with our backpacks which we hadn’t used for about 18 years. After we came back home, we almost forgot that we spent so much time learning. My daughter had no friends at that time. She wasn’t happy at all, she was struggling with English and it affected other subjects. Then there was the financial stress. We realized we needed to find employment as soon as possible. My husband found a labour job. He worked from 3:00pm to 12:00pm. After a few days, he got sick, and then he was fired. I couldn’t find a job at that time, but we were inspired and encouraged by each other as a family. Life taught us to have a backbone and enhance the strength of that backbone.
Everybody who knows my family always says, “You have a very happy and harmonious family.” That’s true, even in our difficult times. We always find chances to get together and enjoy ourselves. We played cards and made each other laugh. We cooked together, and to me it was delicious. We went on nature walks with some friends. We loved totally relaxing and were impressed by the beauty of nature. We slowly began to love the new country. We felt we were a part of this new country. We were allowing our funny bone to shine.
To see twilight beyond night means I own a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone in my life. Keep this in mind, and you will always enjoy a healthy and a happy life.
Written by: Christina