New things #1, #2, and #3.

Today is the start of a year-long journey for me and my wife. As stated earlier, there would be three new things today to make up for the somewhat late start since the beginning of the year. The first new thing was my wife and I taking our kids to the Central Library in downtown Portland. Although the kids had been to the Central Library before with Grandma and Grandpa, this was the first time they went with us. Lest anyone thinks that the kids do not go to the library often, they actually do visit other surrounding libraries on a regular basis. It is important for children to love reading and to learn to read on their own, and going to the library makes both possible.

The second new thing involved the kids watching a performance of a Native American story at the Central Library titled Raven Steals the Sun by Emily Alexander of Tears of Joy Theatre. It was a simple show with minimal stage props, but hugely entertaining for both kids and adults. Watching Emily perform made me realize such performers are engaged in a craft that takes commitment and effort. It requires more than just waking up one day and saying, "I will be a children's story performer." Emily recounted how she made the props including the sun, the moon, and the stars. During the show, she got both the kids and the adults involved. At the end, we all learned something more about our past.

The third new thing was getting the kids to help me make sushi for dinner. I did most of the preparation for the kids to ensure things did not get out of hand, but the kids were able to spread brown rice over the seaweed (Yakinori roasted seaweed from the Beaverton Uwajimaya store), add bits of fish, and then roll up the seaweed sheet as Mom cut up the sushi roll. It was a great dinner because my wife and I love sushi, and because the kids learned to help prepare dinner. I expect the kids to learn more about cooking various foods, thus enabling them to be more and more independent.

So ends this first day of trying new things. My wife wonders if I can keep this up because she has often heard me make (and break) another promise--that I would write a family Christmas letter to send out to family and friends. I believe I have made this promise for the last eleven Christmas seasons. But I have faith I will keep this "Daily New Things" promise because providing new experiences to my kids is much more important than writing a family Christmas letter. (In fact, I'm sure some people regard family Christmas letters as impersonal missives that they skip over. But I like to read family Christmas letters from family and friends because I find them informative and interesting.)