daughters

Having Anika home was such a relief. It really felt as if there was a part of my heart that was ripped out, and stuck in Italy. When she arrived in the airport in Taipei, the piece stuck back in. The wonderful thing is that now it is still there, intact, even though she has gone back.

We were invited to sing in the Messiah, a huge performance, and Anika got to play in the orchestra -- it took a bit of fancy sightreading, with only a couple rehearsals before the performance, but she pulled it off. It's hard when anyone can see if your bow is going the wrong direction!

She sounds so at home at UWC. It is a new identity, and it suits her well. All her friends are wild and amazingly talented and fun. She is so articulate on her blog, that it gives us a peep-hole into her life. (voyageofchange.blogspot.com)

McKinley has been tortured by emotion -- the child does not do this moderately. She was in uberbliss to have her sister home, but daily also dreaded her departure. She slept snuggled with Anika each night. For ten days, Tomoko was here too, doubling her happiness. We knew that when Anika left, it would be rough for McKinley -- it was a month of active grief last time. Finally I found a metaphor that was simple and accurate enough to work -- it hurts like a deep cut when your sister leaves. If you put on a bandaid and let your body heal the cut, it will stop hurting terribly. But if you leave it open, and keep sticking your finger in the cut, it will continue to bleed and hurt for a long time. Maybe it was this thought, or that it was the second time, and easier, or that she is four months more mature, or the wonderful distraction trip we took this weekend... or all, but McKinley has transformed, and is more light-hearted today than ever. What a joy.