by Charity Lee Jennings | Sep 6, 2017
I thought it was just a drawing – it was more. The aloe plant I sketched belonged to my teenaged son and drawing it drew him to me. He doesn’t beg my attention. Like me, he always has a project on the go. Like me, he’s always looking for a chance to escape and...
by Charity Lee Jennings | Oct 1, 2016
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. –Frederick Douglass Packing for our move to China, years ago, I tucked some books into our suitcase for my two little ones. I had no idea the role they would play in our family life. When we stepped off the plane,...
by Charity Lee Jennings | Mar 9, 2016
“Monkeys,” my kids squealed as they ran to the enclosure. One climbed the chain-link, peering out at us, while another scurried across a beam. “Look, a baby!” I pointed. Their eyes turned to a mother gazing down at a miniature version of herself, who clung to her...
by Charity Lee Jennings | Jan 27, 2016
I love seeing glimpses of myself in my daughter. When she received some new art supplies this Christmas, I got a good, long look at our similarities. As she opened the watercolour paints, tearing the gift wrap off – shutting out other gifts that were scattered around,...
by Charity Lee Jennings | Jan 2, 2016
Rather than writing resolutions, I’m sharing a New Year story with you. This is a fictional story based entirely on real events from my experiences of raising my children in China. In the middle of the afternoon, on January 3rd, Eliza, the youngest of three,...
by Charity Lee Jennings | Nov 9, 2015
“What does a day in my life look like?” I’m hesitant to answer this common question, usually asked with the sparkle of expectancy. Maybe because it is not as exotic or thrilling as one may expect. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been in China for ten years now, so my days...
