美国新冠疫情日记06/20 Celebrating Father’s Day

Celebrating Father’s Day ~ Remembering My Dad

This Saturday morning there is a light rain falling in Houston, Texas. We are still worried about the Coronavirus pandemic spreading out into our community. The county government will now enforce the mask rule requiring all residents to wear their masks when they are out celebrating Father’s Day. Everybody in their life has had different experiences with their dad. Unfortunately, some people were born without knowing their father, or they were raised with a single parent. This also has become one of our big social issues. And many have come from broken families.

My dad passed away when he was just in his 60’s. Because in his generation they were experiencing war, they had to leave their hometowns and go to foreign lands and fight for survival in a different culture and lifestyle. My dad didn’t have the opportunity to use his talents. But he always wanted the next generation to have a better future.

When I was a kid, I saw my dad use cotton and starch to write on a big piece of cloth that was two feet wide with Chinese words printed in a bright red color. This banner was handed out on the street or at wedding parties. In my heart I felt that my dad was such a great artist and calligrapher. As a kid, I would hide behind my dad’s back and try to read the newspaper with him. I would ask him questions about current events until I fell into sleep.

Many years later my parents arranged for me to attend a middle school in a nearby city so I could get more education. I remember when my dad would leave me at the school, I would hold onto him and cry. I didn’t want him to leave. That was the first time that I really experienced the love of my family.

For almost the next half century I was by myself, either in school or struggling in my business world. During that time, I was not able to spend too much time with my dad, but he always wrote me letters with beautiful brush calligraphy to try and encourage me to fight for future.

My dad left us many years ago, but I still hang his calligraphy writings on the wall. Today I looked at that beautiful paper again, especially now before Father’s Day. I felt so touched and just cried again.

In the last several decades my whole family, including my wife, my brother and sisters, are all in the media business, trying to be of service to the society. We all think Dad should be very happy and proud in heaven that we have accomplished his dream that he was not able to finish in his lifetime.

Happy Father’s Day. We all need to cherish what we have today.

       怀念与追思

             ---  写在父亲节节前夕

今晨德州休斯敦阴雨不停，窗外刮起微风，疫情未竭，令人忧心。

明天就是父亲节，在我们每一个人的生命中，对自己的父亲可能有不同之感受的人生经验，但是父亲在每个人的生命中永远有其不可磨灭的记忆，不幸的是，许多人可能在出生时，父亲早已离家或不知去向。

今天我们的社会变化，造成许多单亲及不幸之破裂家庭，许多单亲妈妈依靠社会救济，在没有父亲之情形下把孩子拉拔长大，许多孩童有些连自己生父也从未谋面，这也是我们当前非常严重的社会问题，但是我们绝大部分的人对自己的父亲仍然有深刻的记忆和影响。

我的父亲可说是英年早逝，六旬过后即离开我们，主要是他生长在大动乱时代，年轻时离开家乡远走异域，生活和心理上的打击加上内向之性格，在他的人生战场上，始终有怀才不遇的遗憾。

在我的孩提时代，有天我见到父亲在家中准备了一桶用米熬成的水浆糊，地上铺有白布，他要我帮忙拉直，于是他用棉花团粘下浆糊，在布上涂写了一个大喜字，并加上百年好合四个大字， 写妥后再涂上红色土漆，完工后一幅秀丽挺拔的大型贺仪大布条，令我们都露出了成功的微笑，在我幼小的心中，对父亲之书法和才华十分震撼 ，在我幼年成长之时代，父母因国内战乱，他们得离乡背井，远走他乡，但是父亲对自己故有文化从未忘怀，每天就寝前都在床上阅读当天的日报， 渴望得知天下事，我总是躲在其背，窥视他手中之报纸，并不时请教些内容，常常就在报纸堆中进入梦乡。

数年后在父亲的安排下，我幼小年纪就离家到城𥚃上学，当他把我学校安排妥当要离去时，我们都非常不捨，我抱住他痛哭，这是我生平首次嚐到和亲人离别之苦痛。

从此我和父亲相处见面的机会越来越少，数十年来，在学业和创业的奋斗历程中，总是定期接到父亲以挺拔秀丽的毛笔写下的家书和勉励家训，多年来父亲的亲笔信已经是我人生之座右铭。

时过境迁，父亲早已离开数十载，我们非常庆幸逃过上一代之战乱，母亲和姐妹兄弟们都能禀持家训，在媒体传播事业上为社会尽力做出些微贡献，也不负父亲多年对我们的期望。

数十年岁月弹指即逝，今晨再次目睹悬挂在璧的父亲墨宝和勉励，似乎又见到他的身影，令我黯然泪下。

父亲，你在天国安息吧。

2020年6月20日父亲节 前夕 于陇西勤荘