A Life Lived Well

Last Friday was the saddest day of my life.

It was that day I lost my dear cat, Purdy, it was also the day I had to bid the last farewell to my 88-year-old uncle. He caught pneumonia while visiting relatives in China but did put in a good fight to fend off this deadly disease for two years. I realize no one including our pets can live forever. But I hope the many fond memories I have of him will help me get over the loss of my enlightening mentor, and nurturing supporter. Instead of lamenting, I will celebrate his caring and productive long life. During the last week of his good life, he asked for his usual newspapers so he could read and know what was going on around the world.

Once in awhile I asked myself who would I choose to be my idol? Sometimes I picked Bill Gates of Microsoft or Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway. But often I picked my dear uncle. He is not a rich person by all means. He led a simple and modest life. But he is an intelligent individual with utmost integrity. During his lifetime he and his wife, my auntie, worked together, a businessman and a banker, raising a loving family of two children and three grand kids.

My uncle, a self-taught individual, joined our family when he was a teenager. He lost his father, an uncle of our father, when he was very young. During his apprenticeship with our family to become an electrician cum plumber, he learned to read and write better. He also knew how to build radios. He listened to classical music and had many LP's in his collections if I remember correctly. By the time he and our father parted under an unforeseen circumstance, he was a first class craftsman in both the electrical and plumbing business.

About four or five years ago, my uncle started to correspond with me by e-mail. At the first, we wrote to each other in English. With extremely poor eyesight, a few months later he taught himself a new program so he could e-mail me in Chinese. He never stopped to learn even in his old age!

When we were kids, I remember my late uncle took us to many different fun places on weekends. It was he taught me how to swim. On a particular occasion, he got a traffic ticket when he was driving me to get some ice cream. He also helped me choose the right high-school to attend. Among many other kind things he did for me, he financed my first three university years. I remember on another occasion to lessen my homesickness, he sent me an SOS box full of goodies after I wrote to tell him from the school that I got sick from eating some home-cured salty eggs.

Indeed, I am blessed and grateful to have a wonderful uncle like him! - Ayee