I tried to follow those ways and started my day by taking a very nice meal to the monks at Wat Kamala, and delivering dog food for the dogs in their care.
My friend Tao got a birthday cake for me (photo left) and my Thai teacher, Narin, and colleague Lena, cooked dinner for me: Tom Yum Seafood soup, hummus, salad - yum.
The Foundation has begun to throw birthday parties for the children at the residential program. Most don't see family (if they have family) on their birthdays. Some may never have had a birthday party, and some children don't know when their birthdays are (we made up a month for them).
Donations have allowed the foundation to have these parties. At the most recent one, the Banyan Tree Hotel provided the cake and refreshments, and Rockfish restaurant's Thai staff bought wrapping paper, gifts, and sponsored and ran a "hands free" eating and drinking contest (below - they had blow the powdered sugar off the plates before eating the food on the plates). A local cafe brought highly artistic face-painting.
Others' donations allowed us to provide gifts for these children. Dana, Barbara Horner, and her sister-in-law Jeanne Raines were a major source of gifts with coloring books and crayons, stuffed toys, bracelets, yo-yos, paper airplanes, cut-out toys and much more.The children did not open their gifts at the party. We were speculating about whether it is a cultural tradition, or whether they just didn't want to be accosted by all the other children's curious hands. But later, as I was leaving the office, I was met by excited children showing me gifts that were what we would consider minor gifts, but that brought them great excitement. First Beam met me and excited said "Teacher Lynn! A yo yo!!!" (I had brought one to the classroom and it is our "Y" word when learning phonics). Then she showed me the plastic bracelets that Yaa got. As I left the building, one of my second graders ran up to show me the cardboard dinosaurs that he had put together, Wut was also very excited about a yo yo, and several boys were demonstrating their light wooden airplanes. Below are are some of the boys with their gifts.
Ging was beside herself with a Mickey and Minnie Mouse toy (above - I am in the background) , and another girl was so happy with her little hugging bears.
I want to say thank you to everyone who made a special day for these children. I am so moved by the children's appreciation.
Sometimes I worry that they are "throw away" kids, and then I check myself for being judgmental and remind myself that I know nothing of the circumstances that result in the children being left at the residential program. I tell myself that every mother must feel the pain of leaving a child. Perhaps some one judges me like that.
An observation from the party. They played a British party game called "Pass the Parcel". The children sat in a circle and the music plays and when it stops, whoever is holding the "parcel" can unwrap one layer and take the gift in that layer of wrapping. Then they resume passing it and, layer after layer it is unwrapped and yields many little gifts.
What I observed is that the children wanted everyone in the circle to have a gift. When it landed on a child twice, he or she would pass it to one that had not yet received a gift. It is unlike what I have ever seen before. These children take care of each other. Is it because they only have each other? Is it a way of their culture (generous, like the strangers often offering me rides)? I don't know, but I do know that these children move me and teach me every day. I am so grateful.
My own birthday celebration continued into October when I went to New York and my sister bought me tickets to Bruce Springsteen concert. I have seen Bruce many times, but nothing compared to seeing him in the Meadowlands in his home state! A joyful rocking time.
Dana, Kate Benson, me, Sue Kamlet (a colleague and dear friend of my mom's) and my aunt Elaine
Happy, happy birthdays!