Red, Green, or Christmas?

Dear Daughter,

Last evening we were playing UNO together again. Now, although you are not supposed to tell the other players which cards you have, what you did say was pretty funny. And, you wanted me to tell "everyone" who knows about New Mexico what you said.

At one point you said, "Papa, I have all greens and reds, just like Christmas Chiles!"

You laughed very hard at your observation, and I told you that I had had Christmas Chile too in New Mexico last week. When we go in a few weeks, you can order the Christmas sauce for me as well.

I Love You,

Papa

Duck!

Dear Daughter,

Papa is back in Belgium again after being in New Mexico and Texas for a while, so I am happy to be spending time with you again.

We looked through some of the pictures today and you recognized this little fellow right away from the Taos toy store that you played at with Ford last summer. We will go there soon again for your Spring Break, but it was fun to see your reaction to him.

Remember how Papa told you about the Blue Roofs in India when he flew into Mumbai? Well, in New Mexico, it is an old tradition to paint the doorways this beautiful blue color for appeasing the Spirits. Papa tried to find its origin and some people say that it even came from India originally through the Spanish! But, Papa is not sure and will continue to look into this. For now, do you think that the little Duck is related to Ganesha, the Elephant-boy who guards the doorways in India?

I Love You,

Papa

Making Space

Dear Daughter,

Big day for you!

Your first loose tooth. Well, soon the baby teeth will begin to come out and you will start to get new ones growing in.

You said that you did not like it that you will loose the teeth, but I told you that in order to get your big girl teeth you need to loose the baby teeth. Because, remember that you cannot have two teeth in the same Space at the same Time.

To that you shrugged your shoulders and sighed, "yes, Papa, I guess you're right..."

So, time to begin making room for new things by getting rid of the old.

I Love You,

Papa

Eternity in An Hour

Dear Daughter,

Yesterday we looked through Papa's book that he made for you on the iPad, since we are waiting for the hard copy to come.

I cannot tell you the Joy that those moments brought to me.

When you saw the picture of the bubbles in your hands, you lit up the whole room with your smile. Papa had told you that I was going to do something special with that picture, and now you got to see it.

And, when we got to the end, and you saw the drawing that we had made of the Yin and Yang, you said, "Heart and Brain are Like Yin and Yang!"

Words failed me.

I Love You,

Papa

Heart and Brain

Dear Daughter,

Last evening, while getting ready for bed, you asked me, "Papa, what is the most specialist part of our bodies? The Heart or the Brain?"

I told you that they were both equally important, that without the Brain, the Heart would not know how to beat, and without the Heart, the Brain would die.

I then told you about the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang and I drew the figure for you as part of our Buglette Chronicle. We talked about how in the circle there is Light and there is Dark, but they are not opposites, but they are connected. For, within the Light, there is  always a piece of the Dark and the other way around. And, only in the presence of the Dark, can you see just how brilliant the Light is, for otherwise, everything were merely be dull. And, it is necessary to have both the Light and the Dark in order to have a Perfect Circle, complete with its Imperfections.

You said, "Ah, yes, that is what the Peacock in Kung Fu Panda says, 'something Light and something Dark will come."

Exactly.

So, without our mind, we cannot Love with our hearts, but, without our hearts, our brains would never know what Love is.

Remember, Heart and Brain are like Yin and Yang.

I Love You,

Papa

A Game of Chess

Dear Daughter,

Happy New Year!

With each New Year, and each new day, life will bring us challenges that may seem too big to overcome at times.

However, when we take such challenges one move at a time, as in a game of chess, we can deal with them.  Sometimes, in Life, there is no winner, nor loser though. You will hear a lot of talk about winning and losing as you grow up, but always remember, that the most important thing is whether or not you participate and how you react to games that you win, or ones that you lose.

In chess, there is also a Stalemate, in which the game can go no further, and each side must concede. Knowing when to concede or when to keep playing will serve you far better than how many times you win.

Life is not a game of Chess, though. Life is much, much richer and complex in its beauty and challenges than a single game could ever be.

I Love You,

Papa

Thank You

Dear Daughter,

Sometimes people tell Papa that he says "Thank You" too often. I know that I have asked you to learn this common courtesy as well, which is what it is, a common courtesy.

However, it is also important to know the difference between needing to do something and wanting to do it. When people say, "you don't need to say "Thank You'" I respond with the fact that I want to.

You will, unfortunately see, My Daughter, that there is a great deal of bad things in this world. What we can do, though, is to make those small differences, when we can. One of those, I believe, is to say those two simple words when we feel like it, merely "Thank You."

You bring me great Joy in my life, so, "Thank You."

I Love You,

Papa