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| Thank you For Being My Father My Father was a family man, and I am honored to be his daughter. Through our childhood, the family went on different excursions almost every weekend; he came home for dinner instead business entertainments; he chose swimming as a sport because it's less time consuming and it's a necessary survival skill for us to learn; he was always available whenever we were troubled by different issues, although he might not have an immediate answer, but he was always there to provide his love and support. He was thrilled to be a Grand Father. He spent quality time with every grand child, shared special interests with them. He offered to baby-sit, but never tried to interfere with our way of raising children. We lived in the same building, had dinner together whenever possible. Because I have young children, he did not involve me in the recent events; he did not want the children to be influenced by negative thoughts at such a young age. Through out this difficult period, he played his Grandfather's role until the end: the children just learned to bake cakes and we would all sing "Happy Birthday, Gung-Gung" because he would happily accept it at any given time; the kids would bring chocolates to share with him because he was their "Chocolate Gung-Gung"; he would roll around the bed with them playing "Steam Roller", walk around the room being "Choo-choo train" at their request; they would play "ambush" game when we went for walks after dinner, and Gung-Gung would always be "scared" when intercepted; the kids always asked for him to play "hide and seek" because he was fun and patient. He shared his last breakfast with the little one, because the baby wanted to try something new on his plate. He was available for them to the very end. The weekend before he passed away, I went to see him at his study. He sat me down and told me three things: I did not steal; please take care of Mom; take care of Kennon and the children like you always did. I was confused by his words then, and I still can not comprehend how difficult it must have been for him. Although the end came so abruptly, I still feel well-loved. I cherish all the moments growing up, the fond memories, the lessons he taught through his own behavior, the good values he installed, and most of all, the love he gave. "Thank you, Dad. I love you." Joyce Kwang-Yu Ting Written on the first anniversary of his passing away |
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