8 Running Horses

Posted byAbPosted inADHD, adoption, FASD, fatherhood, ParentingTags:, , , , ,

At the start of this Chinese New Year, I thought about family traditions passed down.

As a kid, Pa would get up early on CNY to make fried rice cakes and I’d wake up to its tantalizing aroma. It was a simple sweet treat deep with sentiment and intention.

I thought about family dinners – a spread of meats, veggies, soup and noodles, enjoyed together.

I do my best to share these traditions with T. T never met Pa. They would’ve amused each other.

When Ma was decluttering before she moved back to the Philippines, I kept a few items: priceless photo albums, a few trinkets that reminded me of my parents, and a painting of the 8 horses.

In traditional Chinese art, the 8 galloping horses or “Ba Jun Tu,” symbolizes courage, strength and perseverance.

The imagery also represents life’s eight aspirations: happiness, health, education, progress, career, marriage, children and recognition.

This was a gift from my Aunt – Ma’s sister – and hung in the living room of my childhood home then the living room in Ma’s apartment when she downsized after Pa’s death.

For over 30 years, it hung quietly as the backdrop for countless get togethers – many of them long forgotten in my subconscious.

Today, it hangs over our dining room table, along with the hubby’s replica of the Bluenose, a Canadian ship featured on our 10 cent coin – a blending of our two families and cultures.

Life moves on and we create new traditions, while honoring what came before us and moulded us into who we are today, as we shape what T can become one day.

T sitting in his stroller in front of the Bluenose II, in Lunenberg, Halifax. He was only 2! 🥰

February 15 is the day T’s adoption was finalized in court.

So every year, we celebrate our Forever Family anniversary in between Valentine’s and Family Day.

This year, we celebrated each day consecutively over the long weekend. Then Chinese New Year immediately after.

T woke up on Valentine’s to chocolates, hearts and Lego, a nice start to a chill weekend.

The hubby had to work over the long weekend, so I kept T busy. We redeemed coupons to enjoy an hour of free jumping at the trampoline park on Saturday, watched a movie on Sunday and enjoyed a quiet Monday at home.

On Chinese New Year, which happens to be the year of the fire horse, I gave T a red envelope, a tradition of wishing good luck, health and prosperity.

T has started the Wimpy Kid novels and loves them. I’m proud of how much he’s growing in his reading skills.

48 thoughts on “8 Running Horses”

  2. How on Earth did I miss this post? So much to love here, Ab…especially this sentence which went straight to the heart: “Life moves on and we create new traditions, while honoring what came before us and moulded us into who we are today, as we shape what T can become one day.”
    Sending love to all! 😊❤️😊

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  4. The love your family has for each other and specially for T shines through, I love reading about your traditions. T will have so many wonderful memories of his childhood.
    This is my year – I am a Fire Horse!!! … and proud of it 🙂
    Blessings to you!!

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    1. Thank you Ana. It’s not always easy, I tell you, raising a child with a complex disability. But hopefully the love will carry us through. 💕🙏

      Congrats on the Fire Horse year. It’s going to be an especially lucky one for you! All the best to a happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead.

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  5. Family traditions are wonderful. I like how they keep us connected to our parents and ancestors. I dig the 8 horses and what they stand for. I appreciate that the other listing: health, happiness, education, progress, marriage, children, etc, didn’t include wealth. Right on. Good priorities. And that you annually celebrate adoption day is the best!

    Oh, and happy T has found another good book series. 🙂

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  6. Lots to celebrate and be thankful for this month! I love that you and the hubby try to keep your family traditions and family history alive. The painting of the horses I’m sure is very special to you and seems extra relevant in 2026 as it’s the year of the horse. We have some family treasures as well that are very dear to us. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

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    1. Thanks Linda – yes, the horses motif is especially timely with the year of the fire horse. 😊 I love that we can extend the family traditions and make new ones too.

      Weekends are always so short. I can’t believe it’s March already! Enjoy your week ahead.

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  7. This sentence is so yummy, “It was a simple sweet treat deep with sentiment and intention.”

    Valentine’s day, adoption day, family day and Chinese new year — wow, what a line up! Love how honor and blend traditions in a way that creates such a sweet life. Beautiful, Ab!

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    1. Thanks Wynne. I’m craving some sweet rice cake now and might pick some up to make this weekend. 🥰

      We really lucked out with how things lined up back to back this year. Very symbolic!

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    1. Thanks Diane. The family traditions mean more to me now as an adult. 🥰

      We moved here because my parents felt there would be more opportunities for my sister and I. They were right and I’m forever grateful to them for making huge personal sacrifices for us. 🙏

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  9. So many celebrations! Traditions and keepsakes of our families are such a fragile thing. You really have to hang on to them and make sure that the next generation cares. It’s enough to lose one generation and it’s all lost. I started working on a family history book and I can see the breaks of traditions, family lore, artifacts, and pictures throughout mine and my husband’s branches. It makes me sad to see how much was lost.

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    1. Thanks Margie. They truly are fragile and the effort to hang onto them and keep them alive are so worth it. I hope your family history book project goes well. It’s one of my regrets that I didn’t do a better job documenting my parents stories while they were alive. So I can relate to your sadness! 🙏

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    1. Thanks Pete. I love that it’ll always fall between Valentine’s and Family day for us. 😊

      T is loving the Wimpy Kid books and for me, I love that it’s a leap in difficulty level from The Bad Guys series. The characters and situations are relatable for him. I love how he’d pause while reading to laugh at the story. That’s genuine engagement that you can’t make up or plan for. 🙏

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      2. It’s a truly magical thing to watch the kids fall in love with rearing.

        We watched the Wimpy Kid movie adaptation last night. I loved watching T laugh and comment on the things that were brought to life from the book.

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  15. I love that you decided to keep that painting. It’s a piece of art that is not only beautiful, but also keeps the memories of your parents alive. When T is older, things like this can start good and profound conversations about your side of the family, just like what I did with my parents’ stuff not too long before they passed away. And the addition of the Bluenose has a deep symbolism of two cultures that meet together because of love, and love is what you and your husband have for T. Happy Chinese New Year, Ab!

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    1. Thanks Bama! I know you can relate with the cleaning up and deciding what to keep from our parents lives. They are wonderful and heartwarming reminders. 😊

      Happy Lunar New Year to you! Is that something you celebrate in Indonesia!

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      1. It’s a public holiday in Indonesia. It’s crazy to think that in the not-too-distant past anything Chinese was highly discouraged here. But Indonesia is home to the largest Chinese diaspora in the world, so it’s only natural to have a festive celebration of the Lunar New Year. What’s interesting is because it coincides with the start of Ramadan, some places actually put up red and green lanterns side by side as decoration.

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      2. I hope you enjoyed your public holiday.

        It’s also comforting to hear the celebration of different cultures. We are strengthened by our diversity. Two people on my are each celebrating Lunar New Year and Ramadan, which both fell on the same day this year – and I brought in treats for the team and set one aside for my colleague to enjoy after sunset when the fast break. I love that we can celebrate each other. 😊

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  17. I’m so glad that you kept the special things, especially the 8 horses painting, that is beautiful and I love its meaning. how nice that you have both of your and hubby’s traditions represented together. I’m glad to hear that you’re passing on the traditions to T, this will become even more meaningful the older he becomes. p.s. I’d love to try fried rice cakes !

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    1. Thanks Beth. I love the meaning behind it too. 😊

      If you have a Chinese grocer in your area, it should be something you can find there. They are so easy to make and so tasty. Feels like childhood comfort to me. 💕

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