Jeannette, Jay, Jay Jay, Pallie, My True Blue, Jay Nay, Sister. These are the names I call my girlfriend since 2 years old, Jeannette Acacia Ho.
Jeannette has always been creative, her grade school art was always adorable, mine, not so much. I’ll bet she gets a lot of it from her mom, Margaret "Jing Mei”. Jing was a second mom to me as we were growing up. When my mom worked, Jing would look after me and my two sisters, never mind the fact that she had ten children of her own to think about.
Jing taught us Chinese brush painting in the basement along side the air hockey table; (yup, it was a dreamy basement). She showed us how to make wontons and how to care for and dance with puppies. She had stories upon stories to tell us; her mental diary of her life in China. She would often tell us of her dream for all of us to go back to China, and looking back through her stories, I often feel like she took us there even though we never left that kitchen with yellow Formica kitchen table.
Jing never judges, she is always feeding whomever walks through that door, no matter how exhausting her day has been. She is ageless and ever so beautiful.
She has a laugh you could replay in your head over and over to keep yourself in a good mood. Her generosity is limitless. Her gift giving is always creative and just perfectly thought out for the recipient.
I celebrated my birthday on Monday and Jay emailed me this video of Jing that she recorded with her iPad.
(Bump your volume up for the full Jing effect!)
I’ve looked at it so many times, the way she tilts her head back when she laughs, the way she blinks her eyes. Jay and Jing are my heroes. Jing and Little Jing. They are my heart and soul. They are soulful and silly, nurturing and innocently naughty, thoughtful, and generous to unbelievable depths. I love them as mother and sister. Being on the west coast and Jay and Jing on the east coast, this video closed the distance and warmed my heart for one of the best birthday gifts ever. Thanks, Jay Jay, you always give just the right gifts.
Mmmmwahhhhh!
~Kristiana
