Welcome to The Green Owl. My name is Wendy. After a difficult decision that imploded my world at the end of 2016, I started this blog in 2017. I intend to write in ways that are refreshing and unique and not trite and predictable. What does it look like when Christians live like Christians? What happens when we live out the Word of God in our daily encounters? And what happens when we are completely real?
A friend said this to me when I was in my 20s. “You are refreshingly honest.” Perhaps I have lost the ability to tell lies, even white lies, ever since I decided to practice the Christian faith seriously. The most I can manage is telling half-truths.
So I am my experiment. As I strive to live a life of faith and think critically about why I do what I do, I will share my thoughts and stories from the perspectives of an immigrant, a Taiwanese/Chinese, a Christian, and an American.
My History
I was born and raised in Taiwan. I now live on Long Island, with my husband and our three children. A boy and two girls.
When I was in kindergarten, my dream was to become an actress. When I told that to my grandmother, she shot me down immediately. “Xi Zi?! (戲子) Dare you to become a Xi Zi!” That was the end of that very vulnerable dream. I was scared of my grandmother.
Then I started elementary school. I thought I could be a reporter. After all, my parents were worn out by my constant questioning. They told me, “You wouldn’t stop asking until you get to the bottom of a cracked wok!” (打破沙鍋問到底) It made no sense to me whatsoever. A wok is just a big part of our lives, and it is not just for cooking, I guess. Anyways. When I was in third grade, I received $100 (Taiwan dollar) for a short story that was published in a local newspaper. Then I secretly hoped I could become an anchorwoman on TV one day.
My bubble burst when I immigrated to Brooklyn at age 15. I got a problem. I could barely speak English. My accent was heavy and I’d confuse our Jewish-American apartment mate whenever I asked him about the “ladders” sent from the colleges I applied to. (I was a senior in high school, and I couldn’t afford to miss any mail, snail mails.)
I ended up studying math in college. Then I spent ten years working as a systems analyst. I tried to convince myself that I was living my dream and that I was adding value to the world. Yet, it would take me another ten years before I rediscovered my love for writing. Yeah, I have gone a full circle and it feels like a rebirth of my soul.
Why “The Green Owl”?
What a strange name for a blog. For two weeks in 2017, I prayed and sought divine inspiration for a unique, mind-blowing name for my newest adventure – this blog. I got so desperate that I even looked for ideas when I read the King James Version of the Bible with my then 11-year-old son. Then I decided to go “whimsical” (after all, I do aspire to be a humorist). I found Mother Goose nursery rhymes and thought I’d steal their ideas. When nothing came to mind, I then poured over the poetry book titled “The Llama Who Had No Pajama.” Still nothing. While I looked quite foolish with these books, my 9-year-old daughter came to show me her new craft – a hand-sewn green owl. A name suddenly came to me. I knew just the move that would drastically improve my relationship with my very temperamental middle child.
“You just gave me a great idea for my blog. I will call it The Green Owl!” I exclaimed to my older daughter.
For the rest of the day, and the next day and many more after, she would boast, in front of her brother and sister, about this green owl, that Mom would name her blog after it. On the other hand, a quick Google search of “The Green Owl” would not bring up this most underrated blog but a vegetarian cafe in Wisconsin. We should partner up.
Owls are often depicted as a creature of wisdom in children’s literature. So no regrets! May ancient words of wisdom rooted in the Scripture renew our minds and teach us the way to live out the rest of our lives.
