I have a litany of attributes like suave, debonair, cute, homme du monde, etc. However, patience is one of my virtues. Years ago, I used to send gifts to my family in Myanmar. I got a birthday gift for Snow, one of my granddaughters. The gift never arrived. I tried again, and again, it was a no-show. Since then, I have used wire transfers.

However, Ti Ti, my oldest granddaughter, left Yangon, where she was going to college, and fled to Bangkok, Thailand, along with some other student friends to avoid the military coup. A couple of weeks before my birthday on January 20^th, Ti Ti said she was sending me a birthday gift. There were three gifts: a wooden wall hanging, a light blue scarf, and a blue and yellow one she had knitted for me several years ago. She made it for me, thinking she would get a student visa, go to college, and live with me in the States. However, the US Embassy had issues with her...she was Asian.

In that article about her birthday gifts, I wrote about going to my Congressman, Rep. Mrvan. Members of Congress can send what are called privacy documents to people. Rep. Mrvan’s office sent one to Vice President Harris that I had written. It contained a video for Ms. Harris, all the documents Ti Ti provided regarding her interviews for a student visa, and my correspondence with the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Yangon. However, the gatekeeper at the embassy never gave the chargé d'affaires my emails. Interestingly, I did get an email from the chargé d'affaires, who said the gatekeeper informed her about my concerns.

After receiving my birthday presents, I sent two gifts to Ti Ti. One gift was a golden kata. It was just like the one Dr. Norbu, the brother of the Dalai Lama, asked to take to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Dr. Norbu wanted me to present his golden kata to Shakyamuni Buddha.

This video is of Ti Ti’s bedroom in my home. This is a golden kata similar to the one Dr. Norbu gave me for the Shakyamuni Buddha.

This video is Ti Ti’s bedroom in my home.

When I sent Ti Ti’s gift, I waited and waited for its arrival in Bangkok. Remember, patience is not a forte of mine. The arrival delay reminded me of years ago when I sent Snow her birthday gifts, which never arrived.

This morning, I went to my computer to work and checked my emails. You won’t believe what popped up in my email.

This is Ti Ti’s video attempting to open her gifts. When Ti Ti sent my birthday gift, it took me a long time to get past the wrapping tape. Ti Ti also experienced the same problem opening a gift inside the mailer.

Also, Ti Ti included several photos of her wearing her golden kata.

This is the haunting question about Ti Ti and my gift-giving. Who is happier, the giver or the receiver? The answer goes back to my mantra: It is in giving that we get. And that is what I want my readers to grasp.