Spanish/English Fortune Cookie from a Chinese Restaurant

Tonight my husband brought in Chinese for supper!  He went to Panda Chinese, near Nick's Deli.  He brought our daughter's favorite dish: chicken, broccoli, and baby corn (though this baby corn looked like it had special growth hormones).  We shared a beef, chicken, shrimp dish.  Each of us had an egg roll.  Yummy.  From a different visit there, I have a picture of me in front of the Great Wall.

At the end of the meal, our daughter was anxious to open up the fortune cookies.  To my surprise, mine was in Spanish.  I hadn't noticed the other side yet.  There are normally lottery numbers on the other side.  It said: "¡La educación es la llave al éxito."  (Education is the key to success.) My daughter thought that was very appropriate since I started back to school last Spring.  When she opened up her fortune cookie, hers was in English.  How odd, we thought.  It was then that we noticed that there was English on one side and Spanish on the other.

I still find it odd that the Chinese restaurant in a suburb of Chattanooga, TN has Spanish and English fortune cookies. ☺  But, since Spanish and English are two of my languages, I won't complain. 

I was even almost seeing the Spanish as a "sign" before I realized they were bilingual.  Yet, even bilingual, they still might be an encouragement meant for me.  Who knows!?!?! 

All I know is that through a fortune cookie tonight, I am encouraged to keep on keeping on in my educational path.  No, it wasn't simply the fortune cookie.  I get quite a bit of encouragement to keep on keeping on from what Dale Hale writes on the EXL front page.  His writings are timely and encouraging.  He encourages us students to not give up, to keep on keeping on. 

I continue to struggle through the brain drain of Greek, although I believe it is totally worth it.

Right now my daughter is working on a poem project due this Friday.  She is singing "Lord of the Dance" and "Oh, no, you never let go, you never let go of me."  Hearing her sing is encouraging to me. I get strength from her faith and her beliefs. 

What encourages you?  Who encourages you? 

We all need encouragement along our journey.   It can come from a bilingual fortune cookie, a family member, a friend, something we read, etc.

My 10 year old daughter just reminded me from her younger days of a famous quote from a famous short construction worker: "Can we do it?  Yes we can!" ~Bob the Builder

Whenever you get discouraged, may encouragement be on its way!

Can you do it?  Yes you can!

May you be encouraged on your journey!

~Debra