I had a dream last night, where no one from my hometown picked up the phone. I immediately called my brothers and neighbors, asking them whether they had seen my parents. But no one seemed to know where they had gone. In my dream, I am looking around anxiously.

Since my parents passed away, I’ve been having this recurring dream. Sometimes I can’t find my father, while other times my mother will disappear. But this time it was the worst, as both of them were nowhere to be found. This reminded me of the opening paragraph in the first chapter of Experiencing Grief written by my professor, Dr. H. Norman Wright:

The world is full of faces. Some familiar, some unfamiliar. Many are constant companions. They belong to those closest to us-a friend, a parent, a grandparent, a spouse, or a child. But one day a face is missing. Its presence is no longer there. There’s an empty spot, but not for long. A new face emerges to take its place. It’s unfamiliar and unfriendly. It’s the face of grief.

Dreams of searching for one’s parents often occur before major holidays when there are family gatherings. This points to the reminders mentioned in Experiencing Grief and Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss: Please be aware of special holidays, such as Birthdays, Anniversary of One’s Death, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Children’s Day and major festivals, such as Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, when families gather together. Please prepare beforehand to avoid being alone, as these days can be overwhelming, bringing back waves of memories of our loved ones gone and the time we had spent together.

Generally speaking, losing a spouse is the most painful, followed by losing a child, then losing a parent. For single ladies, because of their time and energy spent on accompanying and caring for their parents, losing them hurts more than a married person losing a spouse.

After my parents passed away, our New Year’s reunion dinner at home no longer needed to be on New Year’s Eve. So, when a couple invited me for their Year End dinner, I accepted. Unfortunately, due to the husband’s health condition, it was canceled. After eating a few dumplings alone, I started to clean the house, wanting to stay busy. However, memories of my parents during Chinese New Year in my hometown suddenly started rushing through my mind. I had to quickly turn on the computer to divert my attention and worked to suppress my emotions.

The Lunar New Year is right around the corner. Being the most important day of the year for Chinese families to be together, it is also the most painful and difficult day for single ladies who have lost their parents. While busy buying groceries to prepare for the Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, please take time to call one of your single friends who has lost her parents and ask her about her plans for Chinese New Year Eve? If she doesn’t have any plans, invite her to join you at your house for dinner.

Thanksgiving:

1. Christian radio host, XiaoHua Hu, used the taped interview of Jane on Healing Depression for Life to enter the highly competitive midnight new program selection by the Education Radio Station. After many assessments, she won the selection and also the program’s production contract. It was reported that most of the other 13 experienced host were Buddhists.

2. After reading Healing Depression for Life and loving it, the famous broadcast host and multiple Golden Bell Award winner, XianQin Shi, initiated to have Jane as a special guest for an interview that will be broadcasted during Spring break. The program will emphasize on prevention over cure and encourage listeners to buy the book for themselves, helping them to find balance and comfort in the new year.

3. Jane was invited to preach and introduce the Walk out of Grief workshop at Logos Church in Kaohsiung on January 9th.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Tear Soup, Experiencing Grief and Where Do I Go from Here to comfort those who have lost their beloved.

2. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Healing Depression for Life and the Workbook to help those who struggle with Anxiety and Depression.

3. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Take Your Life Back and the Workbook to help readers get out of the trauma they have suffered in their family and their past experiences.

4. Pray that the Lord will make great use of For Men Only, For Women Only, and Healing the Hurt in your Marriage to bless Chinese marriages and raise their desire to know God.