Kindness can still be found all over the places, translated…
Growing up, in a poverty-stricken time, I’d often gone to Sunday schools with the older kids from my village, memorized the verses from the Bible, sent the blessings………colored in the pictures with the angels on the cards, and, took the bus fares (we’d walked home and saved the money for the bus fares for candies and cookies), even the pastors’ and the fathers’ praises, and their warm hands on our heads.
Until when I’m older, I’d started taking up the rituals of Buddhism, compared to how Christianity and Catholicism had told us to be kind to others, Buddhism also taught me not to discriminate other religions, to show as much respect to it as I would my own religion, it’s the consciences that everybody should be keeping. And so, if you ask me, are there angels, buddhas? Without any hesitation, I’d tell you “YES!”
Reasons? That’s quite simple, because I’d met them, so many of them too.
A Small Wish Became a Huge Torch
This angel I’m about to introduce to you, I’d always called him Mr. K, because I fear, that he wouldn’t want anybody else to know, that he has a set of wings. But, because the times had changed, and, we may need to revise some of our outdated beliefs. I believe, that “good deeds needed to be known”, we must incorporate this cycle of kindness in the atmosphere; we must use the love, the kindness of angels, to chase away the trickeries of the devils.
His last name is Sun, from Hualien, everybody called him by his English name: Calvin.
That year, because the program, “Light Up” I produced was lacking in funds again, and, although we’d set up a foundation, to get more funding from the outside world, but, the budgets from every single program, couldn’t allow us to slow down and take a breather, and, the speed to which we’d received the funding are usually, left, quickly behind by the expense department, after three months of continual “drought”, the younger employees from the company told me, that two years ago, when we were “hitting the walls”, wasn’t there a man from the internet, who’d stated that he was willing to sponsor the show? I’d told the worker, later on, we were able to get enough funding, and we’d turned the man down, and now, we go back to ask him to donate, he may not be willing anymore. The young person replied, how would you know if he’s willing if you don’t ask him?
After the meeting, I’d immediately gone “fishing” in the pond of e-mails, for that letter, and, finally, I’d found it. And I’d written a letter, asking him for assistance, the man told me he was willing to put the money up for a season (13 episodes). I’d read and reread the letter so many times, still in disbelief, because he had yet to discuss with me, the requirements of his donations yet, we’d had so many incentives to give to our donors, including putting the names on the end of the shows, the thirteen-volume DVDs……………he’d turned it all down, but, in the very end, he still couldn’t say no, and he’d only agreed to one thing: at the end of every episode, used his deceased mother’s name, to help Light Up carry on the work.
Later on, I’d learned, that since several decades ago, he’d been a faithful viewer of the show, he was moved by the stories we’d reported, there was a woman, Wu, from Hualien who, in order to save the young prostitutes, had a bounty on her head by the mafia, it’d caused her to have severe depression, and still, she wouldn’t loosen her grip on trying to help save those young underage prostitutes. He said, back then, he’d made a promise to himself, if he had the chance, he will sponsor the program. Not knowing, that his small promise to himself had caused a huge torch to be burning later on.
Three months’ funding was like the time it took, to drink up a cup of bubble tea, in an instant, seeing the bottom of the cup. One day, he’d called us up, asked us if we managed to get the funding for the finishing of the show? I’d told him, ashamed, not yet. And he didn’t think that long, and added three more months of donations immediately. I was stuttered, told him, that he was the CEO of a company, that he could use the name of his company to donate to the show. He’d replied, that there were too many shareholders, and it would be hard, to convince them one by one, it’d be easier, if he’d done it on his own. I’d kept him on the phones, told him, that “Light Up” is a show that focuses on gratitude, that we’d gotten such huge donations from him, and we’d never even seen him before, and never said thank you to him in person, I asked him if it was okay that I paid him a visit one day? He was so quick, said yes right away, and immediately, we’d signed on a date, for him to come to the show.
The Lights of the Angels Continued Lighting the Way
The mornings in January in Taipei feels freezing, on the morning that we’d agreed upon, I’d waited by the side of the road, with this warmth that’s flowing from my heart. I’d started guessing, that if he didn’t drive an imported car, it would be a high-end Japanese car, I’d looked left and right for awhile, then, an old car, covered in dirt pulled up, I’d not given it a second look. But, a middle aged man came out, with a bag in hand, smiled, and walked toward me, without giving me time to react, he’d started, said that he’d checked me out, that I wasn’t some scam artist. I’d asked him to come upstairs, he’d said no, said that we’re all very busy, there’s no need to entertain. He’d handed me this handbag that he had, I was stunned, he’d explained, that it’s almost the New Year’s, that we must be short on cash, that, was all cash, that we should put it to good use right away………I don’t recall if I’d said thank you, but, I’d remembered, the moment I walked into the office, everybody in the office was screaming, as if a bomb just dropped on the building, then, they’d all nodded and agreed, that an angel did knock on my doors.
Because of his help, I’d decided to widen up Light Up even more, to not keep it in Taiwan, to help the field of vision of the Taiwanese people to be bigger, to see how big the world actually is. We’d gone to Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, etc., etc., etc., through the program, we bore witness to how the Chinese from areas worked so hard, to maintain their culture; we’d also gone to Sichuan, to that place that’s been torn apart, to give warnings to those who are in the earthquake regions in Taiwan, that we must start respecting the land, to not overuse it; we’d also rushed to northeast Japan, and bore witness to the lessons that the earthquakes, the tsunamis taught to us……I will never forget, that night in Brunei, as I teared up, wrote my thank you letter to him, thanked him for helping us continue our good work, the very next day, he wrote back, said that he will do everything he could, to accompany “Light Up” longer still.
At the end of 2012, he’d notified me, that he will take some of the funding he’d given to our programming, and put it in a funding to help the younger generations to start their own business, seeing how hard it is, for the younger generations to find a job. And, it took just a few months’ time, and I saw how the program he’d helped the younger generations start, become a growing agricultural industry quickly enough, and at the same time, those who were helped by him also hollered for their companions to join in, and slowly, it’d become their own successful realms too.
As we parted, he’d told me, that no matter how hard the road up ahead gets, I must not give up easily. I’d promised him too, that I will NOT let him down.
He’d sponsored our program for two years and three months, gave us the motivations to keep going. Am I not lucky enough, to meet such an angel with a heart and compassions?
I also hope, to pass on this blessing to you, hope, that you can watch out for someone else in need, to keep passing hope to those you meet up. I truly believe, that one day, you too, will hear that knocking on your front doors, then, you’ll see, an angel, with wings, flapping, smiling at you…………
So, it’s with this man’s kindness, that the programming was continued, and, the programming was on bringing about hope to the rest of the community, and, this man who helped out saw that there’s a need, and so, he’d provided the funding for the program, that’s kindness all right!
You must be logged in to post a comment.