Posts Tagged family
A Sense of Community
Posted by thunsicker in Uncategorized on August 5, 2025
Mahjong and Community: A Game That Builds More Than Just Winning Hands
Mahjong is more than a game of tiles, strategies, and quick thinking — it’s a time-honored tradition that brings people together. Across generations and continents, this ancient game has served as a social anchor for communities, offering connection, culture, and camaraderie far beyond the table. Recently in Vinings and Buckhead I’ve noticed more and more groups being created to form regular Mahjong groups. I’ve seen groups around neighborhoods, swimming clubs, grades at schools and many other varieties. We’ve recently formed a group in Vinings along with a few of my friends and we’ve blossomed to a much larger group as the months have gone along.
A Game with Deep Cultural Roots
Originating in China over 150 years ago, Mahjong spread throughout East Asia and eventually across the globe, carried by immigrants who brought their customs and communities with them. What started as a pastime in teahouses became a cherished ritual in homes, community centers, and temples. For many families, teaching Mahjong is as vital as passing down a recipe or family story.
In Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and American communities alike, the game adapts, evolves, and reflects the people who play it. The version popular in the United States — American Mahjong — was codified in the 1930s and has become a staple among Jewish communities in particular, where regular games and tournaments are often part of social and philanthropic life.
Building Bridges Through Tiles
What makes Mahjong special isn’t just its gameplay — it’s the way it creates space for connection. Regular Mahjong games often become weekly rituals, gathering friends, neighbors, or relatives around a table where stories are shared, laughter is common, and relationships are deepened.
In many retirement communities, senior centers, and cultural clubs, Mahjong acts as a social lifeline. It encourages cognitive stimulation and keeps older adults mentally agile, while also offering an inclusive space to meet and socialize. Meanwhile, younger generations are rediscovering the game, learning from grandparents or joining modern Mahjong meetups that blend tradition with new friendship.
My mother has been playing Mahjong for 20 years and she’s now 89 and still enjoying the game a couple of times a week. Most of us have taught our sons and daughters and it becomes a great bridge builder at holidays or when we can grab them for those rare times they are at home. When we are visiting my mother who lives out of town, we have 3 generations playing Mahjong. Many of my friends have purchased travel sets and I’ve seen them playing all summer, at the beach, on the boat and all over the world.
The Mahjong Table as a Circle of Support
For many women, in particular, Mahjong groups are a source of support and empowerment. The rhythm of the game — fast but not frantic — allows for conversations about family, careers, health, and life. It becomes a safe space to vent, encourage, and celebrate. In fact, many groups refer to themselves as Mahjong “sisterhoods,” emphasizing the deep bonds formed over time.
During times of challenge or isolation — such as the COVID-19 pandemic — virtual Mahjong platforms kept these connections alive. Even online, the sense of routine, familiarity, and shared experience helped players feel grounded. Now that we don’t have that isolation people are flocking to outlets for shared experiences and close friendships.
Expanding the Circle
Today, Mahjong is growing beyond traditional circles. Younger players are organizing themed Mahjong nights, teaching the game on TikTok and Instagram, and designing custom tile sets that reflect their personal identities — whether that’s through color palettes, symbolism, or pop culture references.
I will say I’ve become quite obsessed with prepping my Mahj Den for our games and decorating it in different colors and tiles for fun. At our evening group we have snacks and everyone puts on quite a spread to make it even more of an event. I’ve seen blogs called “cracks and snacks” with ideas for what to prepare for these snacks.
On the design and tile front, we have all become addicted to the “Oh My Mahjong” line and the various beautiful mats and colors they have. A local store @WaitingonMarthaHome https://www.waitingonmarthahome.com/ has a display where you can look at the tiles and how they coordinate with the various mats and I know its become quite a good seller for them as well. Even the lower priced tiles at Hobby Lobby are sold out most of the time. Its become quite a cultural and marketing phenomena.
Meanwhile, community organizations are using Mahjong as a bridge-builder — hosting intergenerational events, cultural exchange nights, and charity tournaments that draw diverse crowds to the table. I’ve seen this with charity functions this summer and I’m sure that will be growing this year as well.
Conclusion
Mahjong is much more than a game — it’s a cultural legacy and a community builder. Each clack of the tile is an invitation: to engage, to share, and to belong. Whether you’re playing in a quiet living room, a bustling clubhouse, or a digital space, Mahjong reminds us that connection is the real prize.
So, pull up a chair. The table is always open.
If you’d like to be connected with a group, please reach out and I can try to help you locate one in your community. Or if you need advice on how to get started playing Mahjong, I can tell you how we did it!
TINA HUNSICKER
Associate Broker
CELL (404) 931-3944
OFFICE 404.383.HOME (4663)
EMAIL Tina@HOMEgeorgia.com
INSTA @realviningsbuckhead
1819 Peachtree Road, Suite 100 | Atlanta, GA 30309
HOMEgeorgia.com
Why Thanksgiving Is So Special To Me: My Adoption Story
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Kids, Living on November 19, 2021
This is a repost from 2016. My son is now 17 and a Junior at the Westminster Schools. Its a very special week and I wanted to share this story and pictures again for new followers. This is what I’m most Thankful for this year and always.
This is National Adoption Day and November is National Adoption Month. For me its also a special week, Thanksgiving is a time for everyone to reflect on what we’re thankful for, but to me it means a whole lot more. Here is my story:
Adopting one child will not change the world; but for that child, the world will change.
11 years ago my mom and I made the trip to Kemerovo, Russia to bring home my son. Attached is a story that I wrote back then for my adoption agency. This week always reminds me of that journey and ALL I have to be Thankful for. I can’t believe it was that long ago!
The Journey for Chase :
My journey to adopt a child unofficially began in 2003. I made the trip to Bulgaria with my sister-in-law to bring home her two children. From then on I had the idea that I wanted to adopt a child from an Eastern European country. Finally in 2004 when I was preparing my year-end financials, I decided I would finally be able to afford the process and had a consistent enough income to support a child on my own.
I am single. So in January of 2005 I began the process with a local agency here in Atlanta thinking they could help me through the process. By April, I had all of my paperwork done and was “paper ready”, that agency sent my dossier to one Russian Region, where it sat… Week after week I heard different reasons why nothing was happening in that region and that it would pick up any day, but by the middle of July I was getting tired of the excuses and decided to network around and inquire online to find out about what agencies had people traveling and to what regions etc. A friend recommended me to Adoption ARK (now out of business due to Russia being closed to adoptions), she put me in touch with several people who were traveling within very short times from becoming “paper ready”. I contacted Elina and she was in Russia at the time and a week later she emailed me and told me they weren’t currently working in Krasnodar (that was the region I had done the paperwork for with the other agency) since nothing had been moving there in such a long time. She also told me that she expected to have some more children available next week and to contact her that Wednesday. Well by Monday evening, I had an email with a picture of this darling little boy – Dima. I asked what I had to do, she sent me a list and I was off on recreating my dossier, and getting everything ready for his different region.
I traveled within 2 weeks to meet him, a darling little boy whose name was Dima and went back for court within 7 weeks. From beginning to end the process was under 3 months! My little guy – (now called Chase) is healthy, happy and so loved by the entire extended family. We’ve been home 3 months now and he acts like he’s been here his whole life. He gained 5 pounds in 2 months and grew 2 inches. He has already outgrown the clothes I brought him home in and understands English and Spanish (his nanny is Spanish). He speaks a few words and kisses good-bye. He is the light of my life and he has the ability to cheer anyone up. Everyone keeps saying how happy he is and he really is…
The picture of Chase in his reindeer was the first night in our hotel in Kemerovo. We had given him as much formula as he wanted and he proceeded to throw up on me! The picture in the tub was at home. The other pictures were a few weeks later when he made the trip to Charleston to meet all the family.
I still remember that week and what happened daily. My Mom and I flew out on a Saturday evening arriving in Kemerovo on a Monday morning. They immediately whisked us off to my court date which took most of the morning. Later that day there was more paperwork to do and the next morning (Tuesday) we made the journey with several other families via a van to Novokuznetsk. We had issues with the Van with fuel line freeze up and we sat on the side of the road in Siberia while they sent another van to us. By the time we got to the baby home it was afternoon. No time for a tour, but I do remember seeing this beautiful baby in a light blue knit outfit and my mother and I commented on pretty he was. It had only been a month since we had seen “Dima” but that was him. No time for a tour, we got our babies and they loaded us back into our van to head back to Kemerovo for more processing. By Thursday on Thanksgiving we were in Moscow to meet with the embassy doctor and more processing. There was no turkey to be found at any of the hotels or restaurants we had contacted. So we just ate a regular meal in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Moscow. All went well and Friday we were headed home! That’s a very abbreviated version of what happened, but as you can see it makes every Thanksgiving that much more special with the memories. Hope you have a very special Thanksgiving this year as well full of your special memories!
Why Thanksgiving Is So Special To Me: My Adoption Story
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Kids, Living on November 19, 2016
This is National Adoption Day and November is National Adoption Month. For me its also a special week, Thanksgiving is a time for everyone to reflect on what we’re thankful for, but to me it means a whole lot more. Here is my story:
Adopting one child will not change the world; but for that child, the world will change.
11 years ago my mom and I made the trip to Kemerovo, Russia to bring home my son. Attached is a story that I wrote back then for my adoption agency. This week always reminds me of that journey and ALL I have to be Thankful for. I can’t believe it was that long ago!
The Journey for Chase :
My journey to adopt a child unofficially began in 2003. I made the trip to Bulgaria with my sister-in-law to bring home her two children. From then on I had the idea that I wanted to adopt a child from an Eastern European country. Finally in 2004 when I was preparing my year-end financials, I decided I would finally be able to afford the process and had a consistent enough income to support a child on my own.
I am single. So in January of 2005 I began the process with a local agency here in Atlanta thinking they could help me through the process. By April, I had all of my paperwork done and was “paper ready”, that agency sent my dossier to one Russian Region, where it sat… Week after week I heard different reasons why nothing was happening in that region and that it would pick up any day, but by the middle of July I was getting tired of the excuses and decided to network around and inquire online to find out about what agencies had people traveling and to what regions etc. A friend recommended me to Adoption ARK (now out of business due to Russia being closed to adoptions), she put me in touch with several people who were traveling within very short times from becoming “paper ready”. I contacted Elina and she was in Russia at the time and a week later she emailed me and told me they weren’t currently working in Krasnodar (that was the region I had done the paperwork for with the other agency) since nothing had been moving there in such a long time. She also told me that she expected to have some more children available next week and to contact her that Wednesday. Well by Monday evening, I had an email with a picture of this darling little boy – Dima. I asked what I had to do, she sent me a list and I was off on recreating my dossier, and getting everything ready for his different region.
I traveled within 2 weeks to meet him, a darling little boy whose name was Dima and went back for court within 7 weeks. From beginning to end the process was under 3 months! My little guy – (now called Chase) is healthy, happy and so loved by the entire extended family. We’ve been home 3 months now and he acts like he’s been here his whole life. He gained 5 pounds in 2 months and grew 2 inches. He has already outgrown the clothes I brought him home in and understands English and Spanish (his nanny is Spanish). He speaks a few words and kisses good-bye. He is the light of my life and he has the ability to cheer anyone up. Everyone keeps saying how happy he is and he really is…
The picture of Chase in his reindeer was the first night in our hotel in Kemerovo. We had given him as much formula as he wanted and he proceeded to throw up on me! The picture in the tub was at home. The other pictures were a few weeks later when he made the trip to Charleston to meet all the family.
I still remember that week and what happened daily. My Mom and I flew out on a Saturday evening arriving in Kemerovo on a Monday morning. They immediately whisked us off to my court date which took most of the morning. Later that day there was more paperwork to do and the next morning (Tuesday) we made the journey with several other families via a van to Novokuznetsk. We had issues with the Van with fuel line freeze up and we sat on the side of the road in Siberia while they sent another van to us. By the time we got to the baby home it was afternoon. No time for a tour, but I do remember seeing this beautiful baby in a light blue knit outfit and my mother and I commented on pretty he was. It had only been a month since we had seen “Dima” but that was him. No time for a tour, we got our babies and they loaded us back into our van to head back to Kemerovo for more processing. By Thursday on Thanksgiving we were in Moscow to meet with the embassy doctor and more processing. There was no turkey to be found at any of the hotels or restaurants we had contacted. So we just ate a regular meal in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Moscow. All went well and Friday we were headed home! That’s a very abbreviated version of what happened, but as you can see it makes every Thanksgiving that much more special with the memories. Hope you have a very special Thanksgiving this year as well full of your special memories!
Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays – It’s what’s for dinner!
Posted by thunsicker in Living, Vinings on July 29, 2014
After the scorching days we’ve had recently, today is the perfect day to head over to Smyrna’s Taylor-Brawner Park, enjoy the sunshine and have dinner. Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays is exactly what is sounds like – a delicious variety of food trucks parked at Taylor-Brawner every Tuesday between May 7 and September 24. They are open from 5-9pm but it isn’t a bad idea to get there a little early, beat the traffic, and get some playground time in or snag a shady spot for your blanket before you eat. There is even live music!
The band playing this week is The Stoplight Roses, and the food trucks will be:
Freckled & Blue
Happy Belly
Blaxican
Pressed For Time
Buen Provecho
Soup’R Noodles
Yumbii
Mix’d Up
Ibiza Bites
Yum Yum Cupcake
King of Pops
Visit the Smyrna City page for weekly updates and for more information about getting there and parking. The address is 3180 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, GA 30082. If you live in the area, don’t be surprised to see your neighbors walking or biking over. It’s a great way to get outside, let the kids run on the playground or in the grass, and let someone else cook dinner.
SOLD: 5247 Vernon Springs Trail
Posted by thunsicker in Atlanta Real Estate on July 21, 2014
Sadly, my client is relocating and having to leave this fabulous home. Their loss could be your gain. This traditional style brick home is on almost 1 acre private wooded lot on a cul de sac street in prime Sandy Springs /Buckhead location. Gracious sized rooms with 9 ft. ceilings and full finished walk-out daylight basement are just a few features to see. The kitchen is newly remodeled as was the secondary bath upstairs. All hardwoods on main and up, gated driveway and fabulous backyard. This home is so close to private schools and award winning Heards Ferry Elementary School. Visit my site for the full listing.
Overview: 3,300 sq. ft., 5 bedrooms, 3 full/1 half bathrooms
Schools: Heards Ferry/ Ridgeview/ Riverwood
List Price: $782,500
5247 Vernon Springs Trail Sandy Springs, GA 30327
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or would like to see this home. I would love for this to be your future home!
Tina Hunsicker
tinahunsicker.com
(404) 931-3944
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