Happy Birthday, Dad

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

To a man who chases after the heart of God,

You never forgot my favorite flavors of yogurt. Or which cream cheese and bagel shop I like. You spoiled my sweet tooth by surprising me every night with a special dessert from your office. Slowly pulling out a plastic goody-bag of cookies or brownies from your backpack.

You waited for me. And you stayed behind. Cheering for me at track meets. Your eyes half-hidden by the navy baseball cap. Button-down shirt tucked in. Faded black pants that started to look grey. And the white New Balance sneakers. That was your outfit. You never cared to spend money on new clothes for yourself until 奶奶 started complaining about the holes she found while doing the laundry. But you always remembered to take us shopping before school started.

I always knew where I could find you. Morning, noon, or night. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You were never far away. And when I found you, all it took was one look or one word from me to get you to drop everything and come to my rescue. With you, I felt safe.

But then came the day when you couldn’t save me. It didn’t matter how much you loved me or how well you knew me. You could only watch as my fractured body was wheeled in and out of ICUs and operating rooms. Broken bones, lifeless limbs and conversations with doctors that made little sense. Yet as with everything else, you waited, you prayed, and you waited some more.

You are a man who deepens your love for this family by choosing to love God first in all things. I am proud to call you my father, my dad, my daddy, my 爸爸.

Love, Esther