I was surprised by a wonderful e-mail from China this morning. One of my feathers that was purchased at the Starkville Cotton District Arts Festival in April has made its way to the Southeastern part of the People's Republic of China as a gift. In the email, the Liangs share that the crane is a Chinese symbol of longevity, which is especially appreciated by Mr. Liang, who will be turning 60 in August. I am deeply honored by how beautifully they have displayed and photographed the feather.
I do love to connect internationally. My group of friends in school always pulled in the various exchange students; I get a little thrill sending packages internationally (which I do a lot with eBay); I love international travel (which I don't get to do nearly enough); I love experiencing new foods, ideas, customs, and people. I struggle terribly at learning foreign languages, but I somehow still connect easily with friends from other cultures.
I once had a sweet, clunky conversation with a Spanish-speaking cab driver in Puerto Rico, where I managed to mangle my way through saying that all the Spanish I know I learned from Sesame Street. He replied enthusiastically that all the English he could speak was also learned from Sesame Street. Connections don't even need that elementary language level. Just showing up with an open heart is often enough.
Length of feather: about 5"
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