As my daughter successfully transitioned into college life, I thought I post the ad we put up in her yearbook here so she can have easy access. It may sounds like hyperbole and cliche, but what’s truly behind each word, only our family knows.

The first bird

T,
the first bird out of our nest.
Fly high,
above all storms,
up in the blue and tranquil sky!

T,
against winds the kite.
Our love for you is the string,
that leads you home,
whenever you feel tired.

T,
We’re always rooting for you:
the happiness you will achieve,
the odds you will defy…

Love and proud of you!
– Mom, Dad, L, B, Ginger and Hutch

Sacred love

I recently came to below realization:

“There can be no love at all among family members but all sacred love must be familial.”

Let’s unpack:

• Sacred. Anything that’s inexhaustible, such as my love for my children. I would contend that even after my death, they’re still alive and continue to give my children strength.
• Familial. Such as my love for my wife. We used to be two strangers, but now we not only built a family together but committed to each other to find out “how deep love can be”. Twenty years later we still haven’t find the bottom yet, hence the sacredness.

This realization clears away my confusion as why I’m not comfortable being addressed as “Ginger’s dad” (Ginger is our family dog). I love Ginger but that love is not sacred.