Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Dec / Jan 2017: Special Edition | Page 6

Editor's letter

In times of need, we band together. It’s one of the most ancient ways we know, as humans, to protect our bodies and
our minds, to shield us from what storms may rain down. In
recent decades these have been war, natural disaster and
terrorism.
This October, the people of Thailand banded together in grief.
Thousands of mourners, dressed head to toe in black,
flocked to Bangkok’s Grand Palace and paid respect to
the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Some of them held
photos of King Bhumibol and many were moved to tears,
as they said goodbye to a man who was often considered to be a father to Thailand.
In this issue of Wanderlust, much of our content pertains to the importance and honor of helping others:
stories about King Bhumibol’s hard work for his country, the story of a pediatric cardiologist who saves lives,
and the story of a priest who takes care of children in
Khlong Toey.
But there are also articles meant to inspire you about
how you can give back here in Thailand and how we can
teach kindness to children. Because, sometimes, when
we ourselves do not feel needy, we easily forget there
are many people who need us to band together for them.
If there’s just one takeaway from this issue, I hope that
it is to remember to act always with compassion.
Shannon

ABOUT THE COVER
22-year-old Karitha Juerthai, a
fashion design student, created the
digital illustration of King Bhumibol
on the cover of this issue.
Of King Bhumibol Karitha says, “He
worked hard for 70 million Thai
people. Even when he was sick, he
still worked. When I feel tired, I look
at my king picture. If he can work
hard for us, I can continue to work. ”

6 WANDERLUST

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