She told me of my grandfather’S devotion to his own children，and howdifficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education，fearing that same separation.He offered my mother all that he could give-nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings.I learned how my mother,through channels available in America，was finally able to reunite my great.grandmother with my grandfather.The dragon spiraled around the vase，connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second，l felt its presence in mymothers room.It was all very strange，yet very clear.I began to understandthat this trip to China was not just for me，it was for my mother，and herfather，and his mother.Now,I had not only a future，but more importantly,apast.I saw the world with new eyes. And SO l went to China and met my great.grandmother.My great.auntpicked me up at the training center,and we rode in a taxi through the capitalcity.We finally stopped in front of fl narrow street lined on either side withsmall one-story houses.My great.aunt led me through a dark doorway into aroom with a furnace，a table，and a rocking chair where an old woman，coveredwith a brown blanket，wearing gloves sat facing the doorway.1 walked overand immediately embraced this frail old woman as if I had known her all mylife.My stilted broken Chinese wasnt up to expressing my complicatedfeelings.Even though I couldnt completely understand what she was sayingin her thick Beijing accent，I knew her meaning-the same way I knew whatmy mother had been trying to tel]me before I left.Her elation beamed throughher toothless smile.She wouldn’t let go of my hand.I haltingly asked herhow she had managed to live such a long life.She answered in words 1 willnever forget.“Hope has kept me alive.I have lived this long because l wantedto see my son before I died.” My fellow teammates must have wondered how two people separatedby three generations could be SO close.Before this trip，1 would have wonderedthe same thing.And even now,l Cant quite explain it。We were as different astwo people can be；some 85 years and 8 000 miles apart.We came from twoentirely different cultures；yet we were connected by a common heritage.
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