I saw him!

Quick note with pictures tomorrow...

Yesterday afternoon I left school and headed into town to see Qian Qian again. 

I stopped at a produce market outside to buy some oranges and bought some bao zi (steamed buns) too.   My fingers fumbled with the money as I excitedly made the transaction.

Xiao Mei warmly greeted me with a hug at the hospital gate as did our Chinese friend.  (As he regularly appears in this blog, I must give him a name...best to keep it simple...so "Uncle" we'll so dub him.) 

Uncle told me that the Qian Qian was to be released later in the day, and that they (Qian Qian's family) didn't know I was coming.

We arrived in the hospital room after climbing 5 flights of stairs, pressing through cigarette smoke furling about in the hallways, and catching glimpses of people caring for their family members instead of nurses as we see in the US. 

Once she saw me, Qian Qian's mother burst into tears, smiling, repeating "xie xie" (thank you) and offering me my first look at Qian Qian's remarkable transformation.

I promise to post photos tomorrow (missing a camera cable)...and tell you all the beautiful moments and precious exchanges of the visit...

All the way home in the taxi, all I could do was sing praises...the sky was alight with an very unusual sunset...my heart filled to the brim with divine joy...over the horns honking, the radio blaring a Chinese news report, the throngs of people pressing together to get to their homes...I'm pretty sure I could hear the very heartbeat of my Father.