Familiar faces. A greeting, a smile, a handshake. Laughter. Crowds. In this moment, we pretend everything is alright, we wish for everything to be alright.

The drama, the stories, the history. The bonds, the strains and the tension. We try to forget, we try to mend, we try to move on.

A wish, a hope, a blessing -- wrapped up in a red packet. As I receive it with both hands, I think about all that has happened and all that is going on. I hope my aunt wakes up. I hope my cousin gets better. I hope we become stronger. I'm thankful for my family, I'm thankful for my friends. I wish that everyone stays healthy, happy and hopeful. Life goes on.