Celebrating the New Year.

Sunday afternoon, we had reunion dinner with our daughter and family. We had “steam boat” at a Japanese Restaurant at Simei not far from where we live. Four generations met to celebrate, although our great grandson Elias was content to chew a biscuit and have his milk.

During the period overseas working in Hong Kong and Taiwan we celebrated Chinese New Year with our Hong Kong and Taiwan friends. In Hong Kong we would invite some expatriate officers to join us for the reunion dinner at our home as the local folk would be with their families.

The three years in the Philippines, we did not celebrate Chinese New Year in the same way. We had to be in office, but on the eve of Chinese New Year we would invite some of our officers to join us for reunion dinner. Now Chinese New Year is a public holiday in the Philippines. We were in the Philippines for three years July 1990- June 1993. On 1st July we took up our appointment at International Headquarters.

In November 2011, President Aquino declared Chinese New Year as a special non-working holiday. This then allowed Filipinos and Filipino-Chinese to celebrate the festival.  President Aquino's ancestors, the Cojuangcos -  his  matriarch's clan -  are Filipino-Chinese.

In England, Chinese New Year is a normal working day. So each year we invited some friends to join us for dinner. One year we had General Paul Rader and his wife Commissioner Kay Rader plus the ADC Lieut. Colonel Bartlett.

For the last 19 years we always have reunion dinner with our own family. It is good that in retirement days, we can enjoy our own children, grandchildren plus their wives (two grand daughters-in-law.) and a great grandson. God has showered us with abundant blessings.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! God is great, is good and gracious.

Xin Nian Pen An  (New year peace be  to you.)