A very fast-moving event

Before the start of 1985-86 academic year, Janice and I were asked by Margaret's classmate Edith if she  could stay with us for the next school year, as her whole family was moving out of Johnson City to another state. Margaret had earlier talked to us about this possibility and seemed agreeable to the plan. Unfortunately, Margaret was away from home at camp at the time the decision had to be made. So we made the decision ourselves and Edith became part of our family for the next year. Most interestingly, we felt that the academic year went very quickly. Certainly we had more activities with more people! You can see some examples right at the beginning of the school year in our living room, from the following pictures:

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There were a total of three students with Asian backgrounds in Margaret's class, but in Steven's class he was the only one. At the time there were no other students with Asian backgrounds in  the University School. When we look back at this year, we are generally very happy that Margaret had the experience to share her room with one of her friends! 

My Belief in God changed very, very slowly!

My baptism took place in 1956, a very long time ago! (See https://anordinarychinese.blogspot.com/2011/08/ for details.) I decided to be baptized because I liked "church music". Nothing moved my emotions more than church music! I was not worried, at the time, about whether I believed in the teachings of the Church. It was much later that I started to consider the concept of "faith in God" and to question whether or not I could believe in a Supreme Being. When I was in Taiwan, the choir was the only thing in the church in which I was interested. (Below is the first colored picture I have from that time.)

 My thinking about these issues changed gradually, and I drifted away from the teachings of the Church. I began to question the very existence of God. The Civic Chorale fulfilled my desire to sing beautiful music and I slowly changed my focus so that church music became less important. By the middle of the 1980s, I no longer believed much of what was said on the church podium. Singing in the Chorale widened my interst in the types of music which I could enjoy and I became more involved in the chorale activities. "Hiking" also brought fulfilment of my desire to become one with Nature! I came to the decision that "God" could be found in many places - or no place at all,  certainly not just only in a church, and that different people can come to different understandings of the nature of "God".

Remembering a very kind relative, Florence Crossland

There were quite a few events which occurred in our lives during 1985. Some were huge and complicated, including one big China trip which involved the whole family and which was reported separately elsewhere on the net. (Please see http://jat.esmartweb.com/china-1985/china_1985.htm for details.) Here, today, I want to report on a "small" trip which we took to see one of our favorite relatives, Janice's aunt  Florence Crossland, whom we always called Aunt Flo. It turned out that that trip was the last one we took together to see her, as she passed away not too long afterwards. From time to time, even now, we think of her and remember the love and kindness which she always showed us. She is deeply missed. She participated in many activities with our family whenever we visited the Boston area. For example, when my Father came to visit Boston and the Cape in 1972, she greeted him warmly. The following pictures were the last two pictures taken with her during our visit in 1985. At that time she was living on the Cape with her daughter, Marjorie. She was very alert and certainly happy to see us! 

Janice wants to add a few details about Aunt Flo's life: She was the youngest sister of Janice's Grandmother. Part of a family with 9 children, they grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia, in Canada. They had an older sister Sarah, who became a Sister of Saint Joseph and taught first grade in Quincy, Massachusetts, for more than 40 years! Flo married William Crossland after she came to the U.S. They had only one daughter, Marjorie. Uncle Bill's work took him to various parts of the country. In 1942, when Janice was born, he was working in Tennessee, where Janice's Father was also working at the time, at Holston Defense since it was during the Second World War. Later Flo and Bill lived in Richland, Washington for several years. They eventually returned to the East Coast. Janice remembers visiting them in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She and her sister would take the train down from Winchester and stay for a few days. Aunt Flo always provided many wonderful activities for the 2 girls during their visits! Later, after they settled in Winchester, Janice and her family were able to see Flo and Bill frequently. Sadly, Uncle Bill passed away in 1963. For a while Aunt Flo lived in a home run by Catholic nuns. However, she later decided to live with Marjorie on Cape Cod. 

The Adjustments of Young and Old!

My mother passed away in the spring of 1984 and my father came to live with us. Less than a year later, both the young and the old members of the Huang family had smoothly and effortlessly adjusted to this new arrangement. Father adapted to the American life quickly and was comfortable with everyone. He became part of Steven's life naturally - without a hitch! They laughed together and even slept at the sametime, as shown in the pictues below:

Margaret helped him to become familiar with Ameican life in all aspects, including her favorite holiday, Haloween:

Most amazingly, a small dog came to join our family. Here she is, getting a bath for the first time. She was certainly loved by some members of Huang family!