Pengyou

I met this older woman on my first trip to Xian.  She touched my heart — then and later.  I suppose everyone, at some time, meets complete strangers who are somehow familiar.  In this case, she reminded me of my mother.  Not in her circumstances, which were difficult, but in her warmth, and in her smile.

I don’t know her story.  It’s not something you really ask, though I would love to know why she has to sell things on the street.  I saw her on my second trip to Xian and she was just as sweet as I remembered.  It was during the bitter cold of winter, and she was bundled up as you can see below, but her smile was still warm and real.   I worry about her sometimes.