Goodwill

Kindness is, reciprocated here, how this elderly showed the genuine kindness and concern toward someone she bought the items from, and the shop owners also, returned, the “favor”…translated…

My mother and I sat down to order, we’d ordered the meal combo special of this shop, porkchops.  My mother pointed to the menu with the single orders of the karaage chicken nuggets.

“I want to give the orders to the owners of those two stands, they’re both, very kind!”  looking at my questioning look, she’d explained.  Is it necessary?  I’d mumbled, we’d already, bought something from them, that should be, enough though.

Before we at, we were shopping at the square in the mall, the red coral jewelry caught my mother’s, attention, she’d walked up to the elderly owner to inquire, he was ever the more patient, brought out every item she was interested in, and explained the pieces, also told my mother, that most of the items, he’d designed the styles, and carved them himself, those few peanut shell carvings you can’t tell they’re from stone, placed next to the real peanuts.

My mother exclaimed at his artistry, he’d chuckled and told, that it was because he wasn’t studious enough, his grandfather sent him to stone carving lessons, so he could, have that, viable, skill to live off of.  My mother commended him on how talented he is, that he should NEVER let his skillset become, extinct!  In the end, my mother bought a tiny carved owl which the owner told could bring a good life to the one who has it, for me.

“The owner is kind, I’d told him that we bought the red coral carvings from before, that I just wanted to know how much it is now, he’d not minded, and still patiently explained to us”, my mother told me, in a, lowered, voice.

The adjacent booth had the Hokkaido specialty items, the female owner was very courteous, and very enthusiastic, explained to us the various products her company had, produced, and, used her phone, and showed us the videos of how to make the foods, allowed us to sample the pomelo peel soaked in sugary syrup, and let us tried a few sample cups of the specialty alcohol too.

My mother conversed with her in Japanese, and she’d told of how she’d gone to Japan with her father, the female owner listened tentatively, opened her eyes wide, and kept stating, “Amazing!  Great!”, and as my mother learned that she could speak Japanese, she’d commended the woman, they had a good time in conversation, and the owner of the stand even started telling my mother of her husband, her kids too, I’d taken a shot of them together.

We bought a huge bag of goods from her, the woman gave my mother an expensive bottle of beer, handed it to my mother, “you told me you loved beer, I want to give you this as a sample, but hope you don’t mind, it’s, close to expiration date.”, my mother told her no, that she wanted to pay for it, but the female owner kept insisting, then, wrapped the cardboard pieces around the bottle, then, stuffed it into our, shopping bags.

After the porkchop meal, my mother carried the bags of chicken nuggets, and, walked to these two stands, handed the owners a bag each, told them that watching the stands must be hard, that this is some snack to chew on.  The two owners, because nobody came to shop, looked a bit, down, but, as soon as my mother handed them the bags of foods, their faces brightened like the sunshine.

The female Japanese stand owner picked up another flavored beer, and, stuffed it to us, insisted that we take it.  the owner of the mineral stand also, turned and picked up a tiny decoration, put it in our, bags.

The bags are heavier now, but, our hearts, were, lighter.

And so, this is the cycle of kindness, because the mother of the writer’s considerations for the stand owners, that’s why they also, returned the favors, and that, is how interpersonal relations should be, based off of genuine care and concerns for another human being, not expecting anything in return, for the kindness you’d shown to them, and surely enough, those who’d received your kindness will be, more than willing, to return that same sort of kindness back, to you too.

I Only Need Twenty-Five Dollars

How this woman who operated a stand at the marketplace helped this elderly person, who came to her asking for some loose change, how this is a rare gem that everybody is now, more guarded toward one another, especially in times of the, pandemic, this is what we need more of these days, translated…

A little past two in the early afternoon I was just, collecting up the things from my marketplace stand, ready to go, suddenly came, an elderly man with a four-legged walker, hair all white, asking, “can you give me twenty-five dollars?  I’m hungry and wanted to buy a bowl of rice with the meat sauce on top.” I’d responded, surely, then I’d, pulled out a hundred, stuffed it into his pocket.  He’d told me, “I don’t need that much, I just need twenty-five.”  I’d pressed down the hand that he’d reached into his own pockets to pull out the money, had him go and get some food, before the shop is closed.

As he’d left, the younger owner of the adjacent stand asked, “Sister, aren’t you worry people might cheat you if someone tells you that s/he is hungry and you’d started giving money away?”, I’d shaken my head, told him that my own father told me, that someone who’d asked for help from a stranger must have endured through something hard in life, especially the elderly.  Besides, he’d not asked for much, just a bowl of stewed meat sauce over rice, so I’d not questioned it, and am willing to assist.  After all, being old, it’s only natural that we all may become, forgetful, to take our wallets with us, and, we aren’t agile enough to make it all the way back to our houses to get it, that was why he’d asked for my help.

what the elderly man asked the writer for…loose change, photo from online

Then, about twenty minutes later, the elderly man came back, pulled out seventy-five dollars in returned change, placed it on the rack of my stand, said to me with glee, “thank you so much!  This was, one fulfilling, lunch that I got with your money, this is the change the shop gave back to me,”, I’d told him to keep the change, but he’d smiled and waved no, turned to, leave.

Seeing how he’d, staggered as he left, it looked like my father in his elderly days, and, my nose started, souring up then……….

And so, this, is how much it takes, to help someone out, and, we shouldn’t be guarded, that everybody is trying to cheat us, but, this is too hard, especially with the way this world is going, but gladly, this woman kept her good heart as well as the beliefs of how everybody she met does not have ill intentions, and was still willing to, lend that helping hand as she saw the needs of someone else.

Ms. Kobayashi

How we were raised, by your, unconditional, love, translated…

Ms. Kobayashi comes from the city of Taipei, she’s a fashionable, and pretty woman.  The year, 1951, she worked as a nurse at N.T.U. Hospital, was in love with her husband who’s looking after his classmate who was hospitalized, and started a relationship with him and married to him.  Afterwards, Ms. Kobayashi moved with him to Chiayi, to a small town called Minghsiung.  This marriage was said to, shock the entire localities—a modern woman from Taipei, marrying a poor teacher from the countryside.

Originally, all their neighbors thought, that that this woman from the city couldn’t withstand a life in the countryside, how was she going to be able to, shoulder an entire extended families’ expectations?  But, being slender and tall, she’d carried one child on her back, with an infant in her arms, and, stir-fried the foods, tackled all the tasks that her mother-in-law had, assigned, to her, never called out in aches and pains, nor that she was tired, not even, a word of, complaint from her, she’d, started, looking after the entire, extended, family then.

a family like this…photo from online

Back then, in the means of tradition, the people believed, that having sons, to carry on the families’ last names, is the duties of the daughters-in-law, and so, after she had four daughters straight, Ms. Kobayashi’s in-laws pressured her hard, she’d often cried when no one was looking.  Her gentle husband told her to ignore his parents’ requests, but, being highly educated, thought-forward, she was still willing to keep on trying for that son for the sake of love, and tradition, and finally, she got her wish, finally, a youngest son, and so, Ms. Kobayashi has four daughters, and a, son, along with her loving husband, and the family of seven lived on, happily.

In those days of poverty-stricken means, to keep the closely aged five children alive, the couple worked really hard, to make their ends meet.  Her husband, other than taking the teaching offers all around, he’d also planted the fruits, for that extra income, while Ms. Kobayashi had, scrounged up all she could, a little here, a little, there, no longer was she into the high-end shops, no longer did she buy the Pond’s face cream at the counter (in those days, Pond’s was the high-end brand), instead, she’d used the loofa lotions, nor did she buy an article of clothing for herself—and even so, Ms. Kobayashi is still glowing with beauty, with that, scent of, elegance about her.

Ms. Kobayashi sacrificed her own means of life, and, gave her five children a perfect childhood, with all the foods, all the needs, fulfilled.  In the fieldtrips of the elementary years, her kids must’ve asked her for the pricy Washington Red apples and Playgum, at this time, she’d become this loving mother in her children’s eyes; she’d also, made sure her children behaved correctly, did well in their schoolwork, and this time, she’d become, a tiger mom that made her children respect her.  And at the time, her second child was often, naughty, often picked on the younger siblings, and he was eighter punished by Ms. Kobayashi by the bamboo stick, or that she’d punished him to get on his knees.  And, on top of that, this second born was developmentally delayed, and Ms. Kobayashi had made the rulers herself, used the matchsticks to teach him to count, and even as she’d worked so hard to train him, in the second grade, he’d still answered the multiple choice questions using X and O, it’d, made her had a hard time.  At the end of the semester, all of the other siblings all received the awards certificates, the rewards, and to make sure that this secondborn doesn’t feel overlooked, she’d taken the prize to school for her second child’s teacher to give it to him.  Thankfully, the secondborn was only slow to start, in the middle school, he’d quickly caught up in his intelligence, and, this part of the past of the second child, became the butt of the joke that the families would talk of at the meal gatherings.

And now, Ms. Kobayashi is eighty-eight, from a young mother, to a grandmother, and a, great-grandmother, but the years never left its track on her face, she’d still, have that, grace about her.  And, even though she’d now become, immobile, in a wheelchair for close to ten years, she’d still insisted on making herself up pretty, her voice is bright and loud and strong.  Her face always smiling, she’s bright and optimistic, using her own actions to show her younger generations: this world is still beautiful, even if things that are bad come our ways, we should still, enjoy our lives, and love.

“Ms. Kobayashi” is what that secondborn who got into tons of trouble, I referred to her as.  In my eyes, she’s like a fairy, pretty and kind.  And now, I’d often hugged her, kissed her, as she’d done with me when I was little.  In my childhood, she had it too hard because of me, and now, in my elderly years, I’m that man who’d dressed up to entertain the parents, as her company, stuck to her side, making her laugh, hoping, that mom would feel that I was the gift from heaven to her, that I was worth her, having it hard for me.

And so, this is a perfect example of giving back to the ones who’d raised us with their love, because this older generation had loved this child of hers unconditionally, despite how much troubles she got in, the mother continued to love the children unconditionally, which is what made the offspring now, willing, to return the kindness back, and this is the cycle of love of kindness, that passes from one generation to the next.

The Cause of Poverty: Broken Relationships with the Families

The understanding, the awareness, that the writer arrived at, on his trip around Taiwan, to visit the distant region areas, where there are, too many families, waiting for, assistance, the call, for everybody to lend that, helping hand!  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

I’d recently finished the fundraiser, 1919 Cycling Around Taiwan, the fifteen day cycling trip of “I ride, You donate”, for the families in dire need.  With a team of sixty-two cyclist, riding 1,300 kilometers around Taiwan, and we’d visited twenty-nine help center, to understand the trials of life of the families hit by emergency situations, hearing their voices, helped them walk that extra mile.  The fifteen days’ of in-depth entering into the poverty-stricken, distant regions, made me see what poverty looked like, and it’d made me realized, that “the origins of poverty WAS from the broken family relations!”

the plea…

photo from online

In actuality, poverty is a widely defined concept, there’s no set definition of it.  From the language, the two characters mean “extremely deprived”, so, poverty is used to describe people living in the hardships of economics, with a shortage of all the resources they’re in need of.  But, being poor, it’s a subjective interpretation, and a comparative; and, there are more levels of poverty than just the economical, materialistic, it may also include societal, economical, as well as political.  In my fifteen days cycling to raise fund for the poverty stricken regions, with personal contact, interactions with the dozens of families, it’d made me feel, that poverty is actually the results of “broken relationships”, especially of the family relationships that were, broken down.

Aunty Chang in Pingdong, is an exemplary case of this.  Aunty Chang is seventy-one, with the condition of mildly mental retardation, live with her younger brother who had a stroke, her own emotionally troubled son, and the nephew with epilepsy.  This family of four lived off of the assistance of handicapped individuals, and the assistance for the elderly.  What added to their difficulties was, that last year, there was a fire on the second floor of their home, the furniture all burned up, there’s now, just the living room on the first floor that can be, used, the originally home with almost nothing now, looked like ruins, and, as it rained, the house would, start, leaking, the place was totally, unoccupiable.  Our teams helped fixed up Aunty Chang’s home, and as she’d cried and told of her trials of life, I can only cry with her, and hugged her, to give her the emotional supports, and told the assistance foundation, to help them look for more resources to help the family, to help them fix up this broken home, so at least this family would have a steady roof over their, heads.

And, there was, an Atayal fellow cyclist this year on our team, who’d, gone on the entire fifteen days’ trip with us.  He’d witnessed the needs of these families, and shared with me, that what he saw, was no different than what he was growing up in, forty years ago.  When this man was only five, his father died from long-term alcohol abuse, leaving his mother, to raise him and his siblings up.  Thankfully, that his mother insisted on getting the children into the church, to help them keep their, faith; because of the church’s unconditional love, and help, it’d helped covered for the lacking of functionality of his family, and it’d helped the family members patched their relationship with one another, up, keeping this Atayal teammate of ours, not gone astray, and he was able to break away from the cycle of poverty, to not pass it down to the next, generation.

And now, the 1919 Cycling Around Taiwan’s fifteen-day long journey is over, but, the needs of these families in the distant regions are still, pressing, and all we can do, is to keep watch over them, continue to accompany these families in need, help raise the funds for the families that are faced with the emergencies, to help those who have the needs, for one more, extra, mile.  I invite you, the readers, to offer a helping hand to those families that are broken down, lacking the normal functions, so the members of these families can, have the hopes for a better, tomorrow.

what we can do to help!

poster from online

Because of you, love cycles!  Help us help those in poverty, to return the relations we share with the outside world back to, love again.

And so, this, is from going deep into the local regions, to SEE and FEEL the needs of these families, and, if we don’t get immersed in the trials of others, and learn to empathize with their situations in life, we will never be driven to help.

Caring for the Elderly Who Live Alone, Mei Had Been Delivering the Meals for Five Years to Date

Here’s some, good news, to lighten everything UP, in spite, of how everything ELSE had gone to H-E-L-L here!  The kindness, the heart of this woman who’d delivered the meals as she hoped to bring some light into others’ lives, truly amazing!  Off of the Newspapers, translated…

Mei who retired from the office of UBus heard that the Chiayi Christian Hospital is recruiting crewmembers to make the meal deliveries, and she’d entered in; in five years she’d been making the meal deliveries, she’d also, recruited her loved ones to join in too.  She told, the meals we deliver not just gives the elderly persons a meal, but also, the warmth of our greetings to them.

At age sixty-five, Mei told, that as she’d gone to make the deliveries of the meals to the elderly who were in their homes, and some were bedridden, and with the hardships in their household economics, that’s what drove her to want help.

At first, she’d only made the supper deliveries on Wednesday evenings with a senior volunteer with her, then, she took on the entire chain, the lunches and suppers from Monday through Saturday, fifteen packed lunches, and eighteen suppers.  Mei told, some of the elders lives alone, with no children around them, and they don’t live in an environment that’s convenient enough, they truly needed the assistance from the outside world.

the woman, delivering the meal to an elderly woman, photo courtesy of UDN.com

Mei also pulled her friends onboard the volunteer meal deliver crews, to date, she’d gotten five more partners onboard.

she said, a lot of the elders don’t go out, they don’t have many friends either, and they’d looked forward to seeing the volunteers, because the volunteers not just made the meal deliveries, the volunteers would greet them, to chit chat.  And there are the elders who are guarded toward outsiders.  She’d used her time, her patience, her kindness, to deliver the meals to them, and now, they’re all friends.  She said, even though, she’s a nobody, she still hoped to bring some warmth, using her means, giving the world some positive, energies.

And, this is how powerful ONE is!  This is only a woman, who’d started in the meal delivery crews, and in her delivering the meals, she’d noted the needs of the elderly who required this service, and she’d reached out to them, pulled her families, friends, relatives onboard the program, spreading the kindness to others in her life, touching not just those whom she’d delivered the meals to, but also, helped those who volunteered alongside her, to know the importance, of giving to others as well.

Seeing the Hope in the Life that’s, Not Going, Well…the Bus Driver Who’d Greeted the Student Every Morning with a Smile, the Student: He Saved My Life

Sometimes, all it takes, is those words, “hello”, “how are you today?”, to save a life…the act of kindness from the bus driver, something positive, off of the Newspapers, translated…

The bus driver, Kang in Taichung had been working as a bus driver for six years, and this is the fourth time he’d been awarded the Golden Transport Award”, and the words he’d most frequently said to his passengers are, “careful, hold on, the bus is about to start”, there was a student who wrote, told that he had been overwhelmed with the academic that he felt upset, but the driver had greeted the student with smiles in the morn when he got on, and it’d, lifted up his moods, and changed his, life, “he saved my life!”  Kang told, treating my passengers as my friends, I drive the “Happiness Bus” every day for work.

There are a total of eighteen bus companies in Taichung, about 1,500 drivers hired, there were 8,500 rounds; the head of traffic department of the city of Taichung, Yeh told, that recently, there’d been the major accidents and the bad services, but, most of the drivers are all very, hard working, as they go out.

the driver, passing along something positive to his passengers, photo courtesy of UDN.com

The driver from Tong-Lien Bus Company, Kang believed, that caring is in everyday life.  He’d made the example of how as a handicapped passenger was riding on his bus, he’d taken three minutes to help the individuals buckle their wheelchairs in, to keep them safe and secure, and it’d decreased the time for them to get onto the bus, and normally, the other passengers would not rush him to drive off, instead, they’d tell him, “no worries, take your time”, showing him the kindness too.

Kang started driving the buses six years ago, and there was a commuting student who’d written him, told him that he’d been overwhelmed with the pressures of school, but as he saw him greeting him with smiles, that gave him some hope in his life; in his letter, the student wrote, “Since I met you, I’d been trying to change myself, in the future, I will, strive for being the worker with the best attitude”, “You had not only changed my attitude toward life, you’d, saved my life too on that day.  After so much time has passed, I still can’t forget how warmly you’d, greeted me that morning.”

Kang said, that he’d driven his bus, with the mindset of “I’m operating the Happiness Bus”, and didn’t expect the cycle of kindness that’s started from him.  He’d told, as he’d begun working as a bus driver, his families worried that he may be tiring himself out, but he believed, that he’s paid, just as well as the regular nine-to-five office workers, and enjoyed the interactions with his customers, and, as he was awarded the “Golden Transport” by the Department of Transportation, he saw how proud his father was of him, he was really happy, that “I didn’t let my father down”.

And so, this, is how this driver spread the positive energies he felt in his work, to others around him, and because he carried such a positive attitude around him, those around him, those whom he came to interact with daily, are all going to be, affected by his positive attitude that he carried toward his own, work, and he’d, spread the cycle of kindness out to others.

The New Year’s Resolution of the Ordinary People: the Ending of MERS-CoV, War, & Inflation

The lights in the darkness, as we’re, still, not yet, out of, the darkness, but there’s that dawn that’s, coming on, in the, distance, if only we can all, look closely, and treat those whom we encounter with, kindness, as this world, slowly, heals back up…off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

Going to the super convenience shops, the cashier whom I knew well told me, that the elderly woman’s son is dead.  The elderly woman is a frequent customer, she’d often shopped there, and sat for an entire afternoon, and she had only her son with him, her life is, lonely.  The younger generations of cashiers and workers all loved the kind elderly woman, and when they’re not working, they would carry in conversation with the elderly woman.

The elderly woman had often come to pay for her own son’s traffic fines, and she’d started, ranting, “Told him to drive slow, he didn’t listen, always sped, and gets caught, and disregarded the fine notices, I can’t stand it, so I’d, paid for the fines for him…”, the clerk told her to get hard on her son, to NOT pay for his fines again.  And yet, the next time, the elderly woman still came, to pay, and still kept, telling how bad her son is.

Not long ago, the elderly woman came into the shop to print something, she’d looked sad, and, I’d asked her what happened?  She’d told me sorrowfully, that her son is, gone, he’d contracted MERS-CoV, and was, getting better too, but, with a progressive conditions, he’d still, died.  And so, all of us, tried our best, to offer her console best as we can, as the New Year’s arriving soon, her being alone, it’d, impacted us so very, much.

An elder told me, that she’d seen the news of the pandemic growing worse again in China, and the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict that’s, caused the people to be without their homes, and all those footages she saw on T.V., made her heart break, and so, she’d, stopped, watching the news.  But she’d still, carried on in the means of giving to the community on her own just the same, she’d told, that she hoped that 2022 can soon be over, that the pandemic had taken many lives now, plus the impacts of the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict, causing the hikes in everything we need, a lot of families are, torn apart, so many became, unemployed; there’s no way to make ends meet, in her own means, within her own capabilities, she’d, often donated to the charitable foundations that helped out the lesser in the communities. 

In the unsettlement of the times, there are still, many who are, kind and warm in the world, in the waves of the cold fronts coming on, these individuals offered hope, and warmth to the world.  A single mother posted on the Group of our local community, that her son in elementary school is saving up the pints of the super convenience stores, he’d wanted the items from the cartoon, but she’s a low-income household, and she also has cancer, she couldn’t, afford to spend so much money, to buy enough to get the stickers for the points she’d begged the neighbors, to donate some points.  As soon as the posting came up, everybody started responding, and fulfilled the young child’s wish, and, it’d, helped shown the mother the compassions.

China is currently being HIT by the waves of the pandemic, there’s the cold meds shortages, my older sister who lives in China couldn’t get the meds, and asked if I could mail a couple of packs of cold meds, or the Chinese herbal cure remedies for MERS-CoV.  I bought a few boxes of Theraflu, and, there was only, a box of the Chinese herbal cure remedy left, I’d bought it, and thought, I should probably, mail one more does, and as I passed through the traditional Chinese medicinal shop, I’d gone in to inquire if there are the ingredients, and as the owner heard I was mailing them to across the strait, he’d pulled out two bottles from the back, told me that there are only, two bottles remaining, that he won’t sell them, only give them to those who are in need; and told me, this was made from the same ingredients of the Chinese herbal remedies to treat MERS-CoV, that from before when the pandemic was hitting us hard, he’d given away so many bottles, not asking for money for them.  I am so appreciative for the shop owner’s compassion, and grateful that he’d held no discrimination toward China, and was willing to help me help my own sister.

In the past year, although, the nine-in-one election had shaken up the communities here, I’m still more than grateful for all the loves, all the wonderful things I’d encountered, I hope, that the new dawn of the new year will light the path of our future, I hope, that the pandemic, wars, and inflations, will all be over, soon.

And so, despite how the world is really bad, overall, there are still, those tiny moments of hope that sparked, that lights people’s heart up, like this woman’s encounter, and that just showed, how kindness still starts small, from individuals, and then, it will hopefully, spread out, and, if we interact, relate to one another in this mean, I’m sure that this will speed the healing process of the planet up too.

He & His Champion Daughter

The love unspoken, but expressed in all other ways, between this daughter toward her father, translated…

That day, I’d prepared my father’s supper for him, he’d blurted out, “I feel so blessed, to have you as my daughter!  My daughter really treats me, wonderfully!”  and his demeanor didn’t sound like the joking he’d used many a year on end, nor was it an exaggerated sort of encouragement, it was more like the tip of the ball-point pen, on paper, and the ink just, seeped out, naturally., then, slowly, spreading out.

I’d pretended I’d not heard him, focused on setting the table, and, turned on the fifty-fourth episode of the Ancient Chinese soap, so the old man who’s closing in on seventy can, get into, the Ching Dynasty immediately, and, that was, that.

In the deep on the nights, the words of my father, caused me to toss and turn.

Was this the very first time he’d given me words of praise?  Yes, and no.  I’d longed for his approval since I was growing up, so I’d worked my best, to be, a perfect child in his eyes, got into N.T.U., applied for my graduate studies abroad, entered into the field of, finance…….and of course, my father gave me the accolades, affirmed my hard work, but for a daughter, those words of praises, were too, superficial, his alternative motive was the core of it all: be a good daughter.

illustration from UDN.com

And yet, in this, historical moment, I’d not taken my father’s hand in mine, or like a three-year-old, rammed into his arms, not even, a smile.  Toward his thoughtfulness, his daughter, no responses, instead, I’d, tried to, escape it, I’d recalled the term, “phony syndrome”, was it that in my, subconscious, I’d still felt, not quite deserving of, his praises yet?

After my mother passed, every year I’d taken my father abroad on trips, the U.S., India , New Zealand…….I’d set up the itineraries.  I’d even bought him a business class airfare on the trip to the U.S., took him to the N.B.A. draft-pick games; he’d still chimed on to his friends, how Mitchell can really, jump high, but I couldn’t, recall a single name from the players’ group.  My father’s photography skills are, way inferior than my mom’s, loving the beautiful photos, I’d given up and, turned all of the photos with me in it on that trip, as accidental gains, and just, focused on taking shots of my father, which became a bragging right for him in his group of elders.

During the time of the outbreak, I’d cooked for my father every single day, not too greasy, clean, and sanitary, and reduced his going outside, to avoid contraction; every time mealtime rolled around, the foods would be served on the table, and I’d, tried encouraging him to wash his hands more often.  And whenever we had our differences of opinions, I’d, found that hideout in my room, to try to come up with ways, to break the ice with him, and, asked my husband how my father-in-law’s frames of mind worked to use as a model; in his capableness, I’d set up the electronic devices for him, wrote down the steps to use them, hoping that he could, be comfortable at home, and forget about the inconvenience that the pandemic had, caused in his, life.

The habits formed in fourteen days, and my father, is man too.

I’d not thought about getting any praises from him, because this, is my duty to him as his daughter, but, those behaviors, not for short-term, maybe, it’d spanned across the decades of our, lives, surpassing the few months’ of the pandemic growing. 

I’m no imposter, I’m, definitely, his offspring.

I would NOT ask him, the words he’d blurted out that evening, was it intentional, or was it, long-time-coming, nor would I have the courage to apologize, and, that “good daughter”, had used her silence, and the lack of expressions on her face, to respond to the applauses she’d been hoping to get for more than thirty years on end.  Even as I penned this article down, my fingers are, tingling from the nerves.  Thankfully, I have his blood that flows through me, this is definite, believing, that so long as I have the time to be with him, if he stays healthy, this would be, a perfect love we will have, to share.

And, this is the love of a daughter for her father, and, maybe she may not blurt the word I love you out loud, but, her actions showed how much she’d cared, and loved her father, and I’m more than certain, that her father feels her love too.

Donating the Quilts I No Longer Need at Home, Giving that Warmth to Those in Need

How a little empathy goes a long, long, long way, helping the homeless keep warm, during this coldest winter in history ever, from the Front Page Sections, translated…

The cold fronts hit, the entire island of Taiwan felt, freezing, plus the rain that came, inside our homes, we can all feel the, chills, can’t imagine how the homeless on the streets, and those who don’t have the warm clothes can weather this.

Recently, there’d been the articles, “Counting up the Votes, Not Caring about the Homeless Populations”, and “No Life, Only Survival”, these two articles touched me a lot; finally, someone’s taking a NOTE of how the bottom half lives, but the government officials are still just, shooting off their mouths.

Empathy!  What is needed, to save those without the resources that they are in need of, is a little something extra, to help them weather through the storms.  But, who can and will, provided the needed items to those who are in desperate, need?

like this…how something so simple can help someone out so much! Photo from online

Awhile ago, the weather forecasted the cold fronts, I’d used the good weather, set out a few sets of quilts, thick coats, and other items to help keep the cold away, washed these, set them out under the sun to get them dried up; then, asked my friend in the same community, if she wanted to deliver the items back to her home; as she’d heard, she’d rushed right over, told me that a nursing home close to her home elsewhere is in dire need of clothes, she’d immediately rushed over, and hauled the items, away.  Actually, these things that are about to get throw out by me, I’d not wanted to part with them; and, in the end, I’d thought of how those are without the warm coats for the winter, I’d, decided, to spread the warmth out, and I hope, that this act of mine, can “help care for those who are in need in the cold winters”.

And so, this is still on how a little empathy goes, a very, long way, this woman was sorting through her home, and, rummaged out a bunch of winter clothes, and, she’d felt awful for those who don’t have a home, who are living on the streets, and felt, that nobody was looking out for those at the bottom of the society, and worried for their wellbeing, which drove her to donate the coats not in use, to help those who are really in need of them.

This woman did a wonderful thing, and, it was only one person’s lending a helping hand, but, at least, there are those in the communities everywhere in the world, doing this.

The Gift of Kindness, of Compassion, from a Mask

A random act of kindness, from a stranger, who saw the needs of an individual…translated…

As I got my cataract surgery done, with my eyepatch on, I’d gone to the counter to retrieve my eyedrop medication, the nurse learned that I’d come to get the procedure done alone by bus, she’d asked if I needed help, getting a cab?  It was still light then, I’d thought, it would be no problem for me to ride the bus, I’d told her it wasn’t needed.

As I waited for the bus, I’d dialed the phones to tell my families that my surgery went well, then, the straps on one side of my mask went, “SNAP!”, broke.  I’d felt bad, but I’d still, rummaged my purse for the spare.  At this time, I’d recalled, that to help me swiftly go through the medical visits, I’d, switched my backpack to a purse, and I’d left my spare mask in it, forgot to take it out.  Seeing how the bus is coming, I can only use my hand to pull the mask into place, gotten on the bus.

a gift that’s so small, but it means, a whole, lot! Photo from online

As I’d selected my seat,, the bus started rolling, and, someone from behind me patted me on my shoulders, handed me an unopened mask.  I’d told him thanks, the man told me, that it was from someone who’s behind him, passed the mask forward to me.  I’d looked over, and, the man pointed back, it was a young woman sitting behind him.  At this time, as the bus stopped at the light, I’d, stood up, and turned, and thanked the young woman.  She’d smiled through her eyes, with her mask on in response.

A mask that got passed from three unknown strangers to me, saved me from my troubles, and suddenly, it’d, soothed the sense of helplessness I’d felt for an entire, afternoon.  From that day forward, the masks are no longer, just an item that keeps the virus away, without the temperatures.

And so, this unknown stranger saw the writer’s need, and, handed her a spare mask the she had, and it may be something tiny for the woman, but, to the recipient, it meant, a hell of a lot, and that still just showed, how there are still, moments of kindness that might go unnoticed, in times of outbreak, when everybody tried to distance her/himself from one another.