All the tea in China

China is known for producing the best tea in the world. In China when you ask for tea you can specifiy: oolong, jasmine, green, black, rose, white, dragon, and more. They know how to prepare and drink tea. It's considered "manly" to drink tea. We Americans don't even have a clue how to drink tea becuase, well, we're too busy with our fast-paced performance oriented culture to even slow down and savor the moment. We miss so much of life. Drinking tea in China is more about appreciating the friendships in your life. Where do you need to slow down to recapture and even cultivate good friends?

Last night Amy was willing to watch the children while Holly and I dine with our other newly adoptive families at a Japanese restaurant. This is our first time eating at a place where they prepare the food right in front of you. It was fascinating! And no, we didn't get to exotic and crazy in our food choices. (We're not that bold). But we did enjoy a good sirloin steak, miso soup, fresh salad, sauteed vegetables, tempura, fried noodles, and a green tea ice cream. Everything was delicious! What fun talking to our friends about their experiences while seeing our meal prepared in style.

This morning we went to the Chen Family Academy and Temple: a cultural arts center where we saw the best of China's arts. Beautiful silk embroidery, intricate bone and ivory and jade carvings, elaborate porclain artware, sculptures, instruments. It takes a great deal of patience and time to master and perfect each and every skill. God takes his time to sculpt, carve, embroder on our lives so that in the end we become one of his great masterpieces. I am reminded that time is very important in life. That's why we chose to adopt for a second time. We still have love, energy and patience to raise another child. Though we are much poorer financially we are indeed richer because we are investing in the enrichment of human lives that pays eternal dividends.

After our visit to the Chen Academy, we went to an area tea house where we tasted of the many varieties of tea. There are some that I don't like but others I really do enjoy. So try something new today. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Tomorrow our adoption documents are carried to the US Counselate office. In the afternoon we go shopping on Shamian Island, once known as a British Protectorate area but returned to the Chinese government in recent years. We should find a few inexpensive souveniers there.