A Simple Little Update

We have not posted in awhile, not because of a lack of desire, but simply because of a load of life that has consumed us all from a multitude of various directions. School, weddings, church, little girls that need tons of attention, volleyball, homework, chores, appointments... well, just plain life. It's all so good, and we're all so happy and grateful.

Victoria was able to spend some sweet time with Meagan on Saturday for a few hours because she flew back from Colorado and landed in Oakland to pick up her car at our house before she drove south to San Luis Obispo. Saturday was the last she'll see of Austin until just a day or two before the wedding. I know they're already missing each other so much.

Our little Annie-girl surprised me on Saturday by driving all the way up with her boyfriend, Brian, to see us for 24 hours. When she walked through the front door at about 10:00 p.m. and I turned my head while taking a little rest on the couch, I couldn't believe it was her. I literally took a double-take. She casually said with a brightened smile, "Hi Daddy!" And then I yelled, "Aaaannniee!" Victoria was on to it the whole time. What a special treat that was. Of course, the girls and Barret were thrilled to see her as well. Annie's our household court-jester, so whenever she's around the house just seems to brighten up a bit. Willow absolutely adores Brian; in fact, when I got her out of her crib on Sunday morning the first words out of her mouth were, "Whyran, Whyran". Pretty cute, although I think Annie's a little bit of a jealous-bug (only in jest). Later in the day on Sunday we hugged Annie and tried to hold back a few tears from one another, just because we love each other so much. Walking into my bathroom last night I noticed that Annie left me a little Post-It Note on my mirror telling me how much she loved me. I then noticed she left one for Barret and Victoria on their mirrors too, as well as one for the girls. We were all beaming.

There's less than four weeks to go before Austin & Meagan are married. It feels very surreal to Victoria and me. The excitement is building with each passing day. I'm going to try to get out to Colorado to see Austin alone one last time before he "leaves & cleaves". I hope to share some parting words of wisdom with him and give him the last of what I have for now.

Warmly in Christ,

Tom (& Victoria)

Ten Labors of Labor

My Dear Son Austin,

It's been almost 19 years since you first started formal education, much of which during those early years were in our home by your mother herself who tirelessly, but also joyfully loved over your care. All of that training has now culminated to this very first day on the job after completion of your post-graduate degree. Today you begin your career.

In one sense it's not the beginning because we should never live our lives in anticipation of something that might happen. That's why traversing the trail is sometimes more important than triumph at the target. When it comes to our future estate there's only on thing that's certain, and I don't think I need to remind you of what that is. But along the path, Austin, you've always stayed the course and enjoyed the scenery along the way, hoping all the while that it might lead to your desired destination. Well, son, today is what's known as the "fruit of your labor", even though we're never guaranteed that fruit in the end. Mom and I are proud, but only in a holy sense because we know that He is the giver of all good gifts.

Having been in the business world for almost 25 years now, I'd like to launch you off with what little words of wisdom I possess as they relate to work. These are what I'd call "Dad's Ten Labors of Labor":

1. First, never forget who you really work for. When it's all said and done, your paycheck may have your employer's name on it, but your wages ultimately come from God Almighty. And since He demands perfection, which was only accomplished through Jesus, so work in such a way that Jesus' perfection is upheld.
   
2. Second, resist the temptation to make much of yourself to prove something other than who you are to your colleagues, clients and service professionals. Usurping what belongs to Christ never accomplishes anything of lasting value, either for yourself or those working around you.
3. Third, having money can be more difficult than having none. Don't judge others outside of the household of faith on how they spend their wages. On the other hand, honor the Lord with your first fruits, making prudent decisions early on that you'll sacrificially live on less to gain what you cannot earn.
4. Fourth, discipline yourself to invest in your wife and family over and above your employer and employees. On the surface you may be criticized for holding your boundaries, but over time the fame of our Jesus will be honored as others see that your treasure lies beyond your career.
5. Fifth, you cannot lead where you have not been. Never ask others to do for you what you have not done yourself, unless it involves an area of expertise outside of your domain. When you're willing to humble yourself and do what seems to others as demeaning, then you've really entered the highest ranks of true leadership.
6. Sixth, never demand more money for your labor, but rather let your silence and hard work be evidence enough of the value you bring the firm. Let the Lord do His work and don't get out ahead of Him; He'll supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus without you ever having to speak on His behalf.
7. Seventh, divert praise and accolade away from yourself and redirect it to others, especially Christ. You'll get plenty of respect and honor without you taking it for yourself, trust me. Others who are less fortunate in many ways need the chance, and while Jesus doesn't need it, He deserves it.
8. Eighth, always do more than what's expected of you, even if it's not on your job description. Exceeding expectations and going above and beyond is merely modeling what Christ did for you.
   
9. Ninth, walk away from work at the end of the day and leave it there. I can assure you it will be right where you left it the night before when you return in the morning. There's always enough work to fill a 24 hour day, seven days a week, but the discipline of knowing when enough is enough for the day and engaging in other priorities while outside of work is paramount to your health and happiness, not to mention that of your wife's and children.
10. Tenth, and finally, always remember that people are more valuable than things, even intangibles. There's two things that will last into eternity future, the souls of mankind and the Word of God. Everyone's immortal. Everything else you see will one day be incinerated. Love them, Austin, love them.

That's all the wisdom I possess my son, to the extent you want to even call it that. These are my prayers for you, and I know Mom shares in them with me. This is a joyous, exuberant day, and our hearts are bursting with love, affection and overwhelming pleasure at the grace displayed in your station of life.

Emptied of words,

Dad (& Mom)

The Color Poppy

Poppy flowers, to the best of my knowledge, come in one primary shade of color, orange. (Although I have seen a variant of them in other pastels, but they're not nearly as common in our neck of the woods, nor are they as beautiful in my opinion.) Most commonly they're bright, delicate and prolific during the Spring months of the year. These adjectives properly convey our little Poppy-flower, but I can assure you that she's not prolific; there's only one Poppy Mae Zu Qiao, and she's a Kruggel. Her true colors began to shine about six months after we adopted her, which is actually about the same amount of time it took for Willow to fully blossom as well. Poppy is sweet, adorable, funny, tender, loving, and sensitive. She's also a lot of other things that are not quite as pleasant, but I won't mention those here; besides they're the same unattractive things we can all be from time to time.

This last piece of artwork from Annie displays some of the varied faces of our little pop-tart. One of her most defining facial features is her eyes. They're unusually round, but also dark, brown, and glossy. She makes excellent eye-contact when you're talking to her and she's good at communicating with them, both out of sincerity and sometimes with ulterior motives. When she laughs really hard they almost close entirely. She also sleeps with a portion of her eyelids open, which is a little bizarre to see. Regardless, they're always captivating to us, and they're what drew us into her the moment we met her. I think Annie's done an exceptional job of capturing some of her different looks with her eyes in this drawing. I also love the center faces of Annie and Poppy together; they love each other immensely.

Back to the color motif, Poppy has brought a whole new meaning to the color orange for us. As it's a blend of the primary colors of red and yellow, so is Poppy. Red is stimulating, exciting and attention gathering. In China, red represents the uniform color of the national flag, and also symbolizes the primary element of fire, the direction South, and the season of Summer. The color yellow on the other hand shines with optimism, happiness and creativity. In China, the color yellow represents the primary element of earth, and is also the center of all directions (whether North, South, East or West). So mixing the meanings of these two colors together gives us the name of a little girl from China that is all of these things and more. She's the perfect blend, stirred together by the perfect Artist.

The color Poppy is perfectly providential.

Tom (& Victoria)

Ladybugs

Poppy's now only four years old, but it feels to us like she's experi- enced more in four short years than we have in a lifetime. Her story of begin- nings started before the foundations of the world, but her entree onto this small speck of the universe began just days before 2005. Born in a small village several hundred kilometers north of Guangzhou in the southern province of Guangdong, China, she lived among some of the last remaining "true Chinese", meaning her minority tribe still wear the traditional apparel of what most westerners think of when Chinese wardrobes come to mind. You know, the round, coned-shaped straw hats, wraps with colorful seams, thong sandals raised off the ground with wood platforms, etc... Barret and I know this for certain because we visited her "finding spot" some eleven months ago and were amazed by what we saw. Incredibly terraced hillsides, extensive farmlands plowed by oxen, primitive tools, and small shacks serving as homes only partially describe her homelands. (View "Pathway to Poppy's Finding Place" on the right hand column of this blog, about halfway down the page to see pictures.) It's believed she was placed on some steps at a busy intersection of the village when she was about six months old. When found she was immediately rushed to the nearest authorities and they turned her over the the social welfare institute of China. After receiving a physical examination her birthday was estimated, but it was evident she was sick with a hole in her heart (more than emotional). Admitted to an orphanage about 90 kilometers outside of Guangzhou, she stayed there until flown to Beijing where she received open heart surgery for her medical condition. Every time we change her clothes we're reminded by her large scars on her chest of the mercy and grace shown to her at this early stage of life. After a long stay in Beijing, she returned to her orphanage where she was housed with several others, many sick and some of which may not be with us today. We visited that orphanage and what we saw ripped our hearts out. She eventually ended up in our arms, scared out of her mind, quivering lips and rivers of tears streaming down her face, but she finally landed in a spot that she could call "home" whether she was ever able to comprehend it or obviously know the word. There's much more to tell about Poppy's journey, but it would take a separate blog to chronicle it all. 

For some reason that I'm not fully educated on, ladybugs are a symbol of good luck to the Chinese. And in the adoption world they're a symbol of just that, adoption. They certainly are cute little creatures, and can do a serious number on aphids.  (Wish I had a gazillion of them now for my roses.) Well, Annie tried to capture the essence and significance of the ladybug in this art piece (above) where the bug is busily traversing its way away from Poppy, leaving her past behind as she watches it buzz off into the distance. She's wearing her ladybug galoshes and standing under her favorite umbrella waiting for brighter weather while the spring showers water the poppy seeds that are ready to blossom. The winds are taking her sour memories away and blowing new life into her being. For us the ladybug is not a lucky charm, but a providential parable, and it's symbolism of adoption can remain so knowing that adoption has much greater significance in the spiritual realm of eternity.

Poppies are in full bloom around our neck of the woods right now. I see them often when out on a run, driving through the back roads, or walking through the neighborhood. They're a bright spot of color after a long winter's season of rain and gloomy skies. And this is precisely what Poppy has been to all of us Kruggel's. God turned our mourning into laughter, and we're still laughing almost three years later.

Loving Ladybugs,

Tom (& Victoria)

Bicycles & Bodies

There are literally millions of bicycles in China. In fact, there are about as many bicycles per household in China as there are cars per household in the United States, and perhaps more, especially in the urban areas of the country. Then do the math; about 300 million people in the United states verses 1.3 billion in China, and then consider the relative land mass of each country. (This is all changing as more households are owning cars; purchasing a car in China is about the equivalent of the "American Dream" of owning a home. It's a little sad because bicycles give China, and other countries like it, some identity and charm.) During any rush hour in a major metropolitan area of China you might find a sea of bicyclists commuting from one place to another, mixed in with cars, buses and taxis, all driving frighteningly within inches of one another. For foreigners like my family and me, it looks like a zoo out there, especially in cities like the capital, Beijing. In reality, it's organized chaos.

Every time we've ever been to China we always route through Beijing because we have friends and colleagues that are nationals and live there in the city. We're especially fond of our dear Madam Cui and Mr. Huang, both Hines employees (the company I work for) that live in the capital city. They've taken a real liking to Poppy and our family (they haven't met Willow yet). In fact, Annie traveled there alone one time (we were so proud of her) to serve on a mission project and Madam Cui and Mr. Huang hosted her for several days. They're so sweet, hospitable and loving, typical of the Chinese culture that puts us to shame in so many of these ways.

Here in this drawing from Annie you can see a sketch of Madam Cui holding Poppy, buried in the foreground of thousands of bicycles. Every bicycle has an owner, and it's hard to believe someone could actually identify and find their bike when its time to go home or run an errand. Gee whiz, I have a hard time remembering where I parked my car in a parking lot when there's only 100 cars in it. But they do and they mosey along their merry way after hopping on the seat. Likewise, every person on the face of this plant has or had a mommy and a daddy; they are or were loved by someone. To us, mere strangers, they're simply people among the throngs of millions, but to someone (or someones) they are identified and belong. It's hard to imagine that anyone could leave one behind and go on with life as if they never existed. It's not as if they were a bicycle or something. But such is the saddened case for so many, and not just in China but across the entire face of our planet. ~143,000,000 orphans and foster children; it's unconscionable! It should not be this way. But to our Lord they're not just another body, not just another mouth to feed, but a beautifully crafted image of Him, loved and cared for by the Father of all fathers. He has deep compassion for their loathed estate, and will not forget their plight.

I don't think I'll ever ride a bike the same. Each time I hop on one I will be reminded that it's not just a bike, a fun ride or a mere means of transportation, but representative of another lost child that needs a home. That will cause me pause to pray. Who knows? Perhaps they'll be found in the masses and once again belong.

Swimming in a Sea of Souls,

Tom (& Victoria)

Good & Perfect Gifts

So with that brief interlude from my last post about "Embracing Accusation", I'm back to posting Annie's next art piece about the lost children in China and our journey to find Poppy.

The Great Wall of China is indis- putably one of the greatest wonders of the world. It was first construct- ed almost 3,000 years ago and stretches over 4,000 miles, comprised of about 10,000 watchtowers. It took 1,700 years to fully build, maintain and renovate it to what it is today (even though much of it is now rubble). More than a million people died while constructing the first 3,000 miles of the wall. The bricks themselves are an engineering marvel, able to withstand over 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. It ranges in width from 15 to 30 feet, and averages about 25 feet high, spanning some of the most rugged terrain in the country. It is truly a sight to behold, and something the people of China are rightfully proud of. The first time I saw this magnificent structure with Victoria I was awe struck. The precision of the construction and the beauty of the architecture against the backdrop of China's mountainous peaks threw my mind into a tailspin of wonder. I felt it was perfectly crafted. It is indeed good.

The imagery in this drawing (above) of The Great Wall by Annie is also quite intriguing as I feel it captures the good and perfect nature of God's gifts to us. For those of you that received our announcement a few years ago about Poppy's adoption into our family, you know that we chose James 1:17a as our theme verse to give thanks to God. It states, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." (Also translated into Chinese characters on Annie's drawing.) I envision Jesus stepping down these stairs on The Great Wall with Poppy in His arms, preparing to greet us in the watchtower. She's every bit of perfection and every bit of goodness, being created by the Father of heavenly lights. With crying baby in tow, and an ever-so-happy grin on Jesus' face, we receive her with joy and tears, as we have all of the children God has given us. Turning and walking back up the stairs, He looks over His shoulder as we venture down the steps in the other direction and eventually fade off into the hillsides of another country.

The good and perfect gift of Poppy (and Austin, and Annie, and Barret, and Willow, and even Meagan, and Victoria to me and me to her), make The Great Wall seem like a petite partition. What man has created, as awesome and seemingly miraculous as it is, pales against the wonder and splendor of His created images, especially those given to us while traversing the terrain of this temporary territory.

Tom (& Victoria)

Embracing Accusation

I'm sorry, but I have to already deviate from my intention to write a collective series of posts about Annie's artwork as I've been interrupted by a new song introduced to me by family and friends. I simply cannot get it out of my head. I heard it for the first time on my iPod while on a worship run two days ago, I heard it again yesterday (several times) on another worship run, and I just heard it again this morning. I share this (sung by Shane & Shane), entitled "Embracing Accusation", with the hope that it's as meaningful to you as it is to me. How often I hear these words racing through my mind, preached by the tempter, and how often I need to be reminded of the essence of this truth as presented in this song: (Victoria, I told you I'd share this song with you last night, but never got around to it, so... here it is.)

This reminds me of a poem I wrote a few years ago:

"No Condemnation"

(Romans 7:21-8:1)

New dawn of sun overcoming the curse,
His Word rejuvenates soul with verse.
Passion abounds to rest and nurse,
Supple breast of the God of the universe.

Winds of day burn candle wick dim,
Contemplation of self and pleasure of sin.
Bleakness of storm grows weary and grim,
Discouragement overflows from heart within.

"Condemnation!" Cries spirit of death;
"Christ paid a price, but not for every breath.
God's freedom and liberty are shallow in depth;
His love for thee has limited breadth."

Darkness looms on horizon of life,
Battle is fierce against sharpest of knife.
Temptation to reign brings sorrow and strife,
Sin's wretchedness stings like swath of a scythe.

"Condemnation!" Cries spirit of death;
"Christ paid a price, but not for every breath.
God's freedom and liberty are shallow in depth;
His love for thee has limited breadth."

Setting sun draws day to a close,
Reflections thereon ponder humble repose.
Where shall one turn after failing His pose?
To the Master Designer of the most exquisite rose.

Hope of inheritance presses thee on,
In spite of weakness and frailty belong.
His burden light and soft yoke upon,
Humble servant at the foot of His throng.

"No condemnation!" Cries Spirit of breath;
"Christ paid it all, through sorrow and death.
Freedom and liberty that knows no depth;
His love has bridged an unsearchable breadth."

No condemnation,
Christ paid it all.
No condemnation,
Secure from the fall.

Jesus Saves! Alleluia!

Tom

Fingerprints of the Lost Children in China

I'm going to attempt to write a short series of blog entries on what I consider to be remarkable artwork sketched by my daughter, Annie. She submitted a few pieces to her professors at Cal Poly that reflect upon her journey to find Qing Zu Qiao (Poppy Mae) in China. When I first laid eyes upon these creations my heart was moved and I caught myself with a lump in my throat. Annie captured the essence of true art in these drawings, letting her hands be guided by her soul and thereby penetrating the psyche of others.

This piece of artwork is the first of many, entitled "Finger- prints of the Lost Children in China". Annie remem- bers our first flight across the Pacific Ocean to this foreign land as an entire family. We were numbered at five back then, and were so excited and scared at the same time. And the numbers of children without mommies and daddies in this country alone is staggering, over 13,000,000. So, literally, their fingerprints are scattered throughout the terrain, from coast to western border and highlands to lowlands. And here we were, five little foreigners ourselves traversing into a sea of 1.3 billion people to find one tiny girl but fifteen months old in order that she might not be lost any longer. What an honor, what a privilege to even be permitted onto this foreign soil in the first place, and then to take one of their own that we might be blessed? They were so kind, so gracious to give us one of the greatest gifts of all time. We'll forever be indebted to the country of China, it's government and the generosity of their culture.

For those of you that know our story, you also know that this trip was not without hardship. In fact, the experience was without question the most trying of our entire lives. We hope to never have to go through something like that again, and we hope no one else has to undergo what we went through. But if we had to do it all over again, meaning that we'd have to endure the heartache to its highest degree in order to gain what we did, I don't think there's a one of us that would balk at the travails. Love is risky, love is hard, love is scary, and love is painful. But love is also rewarding, love is easy, love is peaceful, and love is healthy. In fact, apart from it existence itself would be meaningless and hopeless. And if there's one thing we've learned from Poppy, among the countless, it's that we were created to give ourselves away. Every morning I wake up and see her perfectly precious face sleeping next to Victoria's I'm reminded of that. 

So the next time we're called to venture out and put our lives into the hands of another in order give ourselves away and find a lost soul, I pray we're bold enough to take the risk to gain a reward that will be stored up in heaven. When we get there we'll lay it at the feet of our King, Jesus.

Leaving our own fingerprints,

Tom (& Victoria, & Austin, & Meagan, & Annie, & Barret, & Poppy, & even little Willow)