On a hot summer day in early 2000s, my coworker and good friend Wei Lou asked me if I wanted to go see a land that he recently purchased. It was located near the town of Blue Ridge, in the rural northeastern corner of Collin County, about 45 minutes northeast of Dallas metroplex. That sounded fun, so I said, “Sure!” and around lunch time we sneaked out of the office in Wei’s car.
We got to his land without problem, but on the way back, somehow we took a wrong turn and ended up on a dead-end dirt road. As Wei tried to turn the car around, it got stuck in the mud. Despite our efforts to push and maneuver the car, the tires just spun in place. By now we were sweating profusely in a 100°F (38°C) weather, and we were hopelessly late to go back to work. As we stood there like two lost wanderers, wondering what to do, a young white American lady came out from the house at the end of the road with her cute little daughter. They brought us two glasses of cold lemonade. Not only that, but she also then used her truck to pull out our car. Oh, what a double blessing from heaven! I didn’t have the wisdom to ask for her name, but her kindness stays in my memory to this day.
Yesterday I got to celebrate the American Independence Day for the 29th time. Just like Indonesia, America is a country of endless magnificent vistas. In both countries, there are so many wonderful places that I have yet (and long) to see. But as beautiful as the land is, it is how the people in the community treat us that eventually shapes our perception of the country. And none is more important than the treatment we receive when we are down and in troubles. The story above is just one of the countless acts of kindness that my family has received over the years.
In the past two weeks, again my family became the recipient of kindness. When my father-in-law became sick with Covid in Semarang, Indonesia (like so many other people over there), our friends and families worked very hard to find a doctor, get an oxygen machine, and eventually, find a hospital space for him – all of which were practically impossible to obtain in the current situation. And as words spread that he passed away last week, countless of them, both from the US and Indonesia, sent their condolences, sympathy, and prayers, delivered beautiful flowers and delicious food (so Lili didn’t have to cook), visited and hugged us, led a small prayer service, and, as importantly, lent their loving ears to my wife Lili’s mourning.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” said Christ in His Beatitudes Sermon 2000 years ago. I have heard that line numerous times before, but the past two weeks have given it a new meaning. As we were down in spirit, we were surrounded by the love of our families and friends. If God is love (and I firmly believe that He is), then He was indeed close to us during that time. For that, we are forever grateful.
“The only things we actually keep are those we give away.” - Anonymous
PS: My heart goes out to everyone who has lost their loved ones during this pandemic and died alone in the hospital, and my prayers go to those around the world who are still battling Covid-19. I hope the US government will give out more vaccines to the other countries around the world and may this Covid-19 pandemic be behind us soon.
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE, WORK, AND FAITH IN THE 21ST-CENTURY AMERICA 