Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

Around this time of every year, I normally find myself sitting in a quiet corner of my room with my eyes closed, focusing on my breathing, and trying to recollect the past 12 months filled with lots of expected and unexpected events and episodes. This past year started with the most unforgettably sad incident in my life. My father passed away on the 13 th of January, and it was snowing a lot outside. The sudden rush of raw feeling of loss and emptiness has engulfed and flooded through me as its bitterly cold and unfamiliar reminder each time special days come along: Father’s day, his birthday, mother’s birthday, my parents’ 52 nd anniversary, my birthday, Christmas, to name a few.   I do not believe it is possible for anyone to completely come to terms with their beloved parents’ or sibling’s or children’s deaths no matter how long ago they happened. I am no the exception. It is not about forgetting or avoiding the saddest day of our lives, but more about remembering and che...

Peoria on My Mind by Jean Lee Love the corn fields in Summer time vast and wide; Colorful autumn is such a winsome time. Wintry air has made me a good cook of soups with pride; Spring rain brings out flowers in their prime. When I used to stumble and fall, You were there; Over good times, bad times, and all, Showing me a sunny smile so rare. When hope seems like the last thing to expect, You don’t say “can’t” or “never”. That’s why you’re the one to respect, and we’ll be on your side forever. If some time I look back on my good old days, You will be right there in my memory. As the unforgettable light that stays, You will keep brightening up my life so happily. I’m leaving my heart with you, Peoria. You will always be my home of euphoria.

Everyone goes through the points in life when they lose the most precious and beloved persons to them. When they are in the sad phase of life, people send them heartfelt prayers, warm thoughts, and deep condolences. To some, it takes a few years to reel from their sorrow….no, it takes forever to survive the feelings of emptiness and hollow in heart until the very last day of their lives. This week, I would like to share a link that shows us how to cope with the loss of our loved ones. https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-overcome-the-death-of-a-loved-one STEP 1: ALLOW THE FEELINGS Coping with the loss of a loved one brings up almost every emotion imaginable. There are times when more than one emotion seems to take hold at once, and you may feel as if you're “going crazy.” It's natural to feel this way, as it's normal to experience a number of different feelings. Gently remind yourself in your time of bereavement and grief that your feelings ar...

‘Tis the season to be jolly and relaxed. However, to some people out there, it could make a grueling time slaving in front of the kitchen stove and oven all night and day. Speaking of cooking, why don’t we work on cooking terms this week? (A lot of cooking terms came from France or Italy.) Here they are! (source from www.dictionary.com ) After going over the following cooking terms, try to fill in the blanks below them. brine (verb or noun) Brining (usually a turkey) is basically just the process of adding salt. It can be through a soak in a water mixture or simply by shaking salt directly on to the turkey. This is how you avoid that dry Thanksgiving turkey you may remember as a kid. However, don't tell your mom that! al dente (phrase) Al dente is considered the ideal texture for pasta. It’s not too soft, but not too firm. The Italian term literally translates as “to the tooth.” Think of it as pasta with just the right amount of “bite.” It’s not totally raw and ...

Whenever things are going tough, we stop and ask a question: ‘WHY?’, ‘Is this part of God’s will or plan for good in the grand scheme of things ?’ The answer is up to your choice and belief in life. Well, quite a lot of things in our lives make sense in the way that most things make sense when you don’t fully understand the situations. Ha…     Sleepless nights or the nights filled only with a couple of hours of shallow sleep take a serious toll on our bodies just as if they were telling us off for the unexpected blows from life. What happens in our world might have some relations or no connections at all with our own will or responsibilities. With all due respect, it might feel very UNFAIR for us to go through life’s ordeals or bad nitty-gritty quite against our own intents. So….are we supposed to just sit still like the demoralized residents in the blighted hood , fretting about what we’re facing in a mopey mood? How best or at least aptly could we weather the se...