In memory of...

As part of a follow up to my last post, I'm going to elaborate on an interesting part of that cultural celebration as seen from my perspective. One of the major tenets of celebrating the Chinese new year is prosperity. To demonstrate the size of your largesse, you would stuff money in little red (which is supposed to symbolize happiness) envelopes in varying amounts and (depending on how closely related you are) give them to anyone who wishes you a happy, healthy, lucky and prosperous new year.

As a kid, I remember how I used to net in a couple hundred dollars for saying a few phrases in chinese to anyone who was married and older than me. There were times my allowance in a year was less than I made in one day. When the new years landed on a weekend, they were the best, since I usually had two days to rake in the funds. It got to be a contest between my cousins to see who could bring in more. I could never compete with my siblings, as they usually got the exact same amount I did. And if they weren't there to offer the well wishes, I would be given theirs to pass on to them. All of the money would then be given to my parents to stick in our ever growing savings accounts.

Just thinking of those carefree days brings a smile to my face. The best givers were always my grandparents and my great grandparents. They always had the wierdest envelopes to stuff their money in. And as they passed away, I lost a little bit of the character and color from collecting the funds. I lost out on seeing their faces light up with pleasure when we offered our usual wishes before collecting the red envelopes they gave.

I think that instead of bemoaning my loss, I will spend what time I have this week reflecting on the happiness and joy I used to take in seeing my grandparents and great grandparents.