There's no candy here, but each of these tells a little about my journey through life-- past, present, and future-- and about the people in it. I have with me an abacus, a "Very Hungry Caterpillar," and my Halloween bag.
This is an abacus, the ancient Chinese predecessor to modern calculators. It represents a piece of my past. I have always been good at math, and in my senior year of high school I was selected to join the county math team. We competed at State and National tournaments. The team consisted of the brightest people I had ever met. Being part of it both humbled me and strengthened my self-confidence. Most important to me, though, were the deep and lasting friendships I developed through being part of this exceptional team.
This abacus also represents my grandfather. He lived in our house when I was very young, and later went to live with my uncle down the street. My grandfather spoke no English, and I spoke almost no Thai. Yet, somehow, he was always a stable and supportive presence in my childhood. My grandfather taught me how to use the abacus when I was eleven years old. When I chose to demonstrate it for a sixth grade social studies project, he could not have been prouder.
This magnet has an image of The Very Hungry Caterpillar from the children's book by Eric Carle. It represents my life at present. I am in a transitional stage-- like a caterpillar in a cocoon, waiting to become a butterfly. Earlier this year, I left a long career in retail management in order to have more time to spend with my family. Since that was the only profession I had ever known, the decision was a difficult one. I'm in unfamiliar territory now, and it's somewhat frightening. Now is the time for me to decide what to be when I grow up. Completing school here is part of my transformation process.
The magnet also represents my daughter Autumn. It's a sign of her resourcefulness. I had been intending to use the actual book here today, but it is lost somewhere in Autumn's room. She took this magnet from the refrigerator and told me to use it instead. Autumn is very much like the caterpillar of the story. She is growing, and is very hungry to learn.
This is my Halloween bag for trick-or-treating. On Halloween of my freshman year of college, I met a very special man. Mike was shy, and barely spoke to me that evening. But during the months that followed, we became good friends, and our relationship deepened. It's twelve years later now, and Mike and I have been married for over half of that time. And he is still my best friend.
This abacus, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the Halloween bag are all symbolic of people and parts of my life. Just like the abacus and magnet are going into my bag, my experiences from the past and present go into building my future. Who knows what goodies I'll find?