REFLECTIONS ON LIFE, WORK, AND FAITH IN THE 21ST-CENTURY AMERICA
Hopeful stories from a Catholic parent, business professional, and first-generation Asian-American
As we travel through life, inevitably we pass through storms, big and small. We may not comprehend why, but just as the two powerful storms that I encountered many years ago paved the way for memorable vacations, the storms in our lives, too, will somehow bring a more beautiful future - if not for us, …
Nearly 30 years ago, a successful businesswoman shared two pieces of advice for the new university graduates in my campus newspaper. Looking back through my career, I found them to be wise. So, I’d like to share them with all of you who graduated from the university this month. May they be useful for you.
Unlike the US, many countries celebrate Labor Day (or the Workers' Day) on May 1. The Catholic Church, too, designated May 1 as the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. In St. Joseph, the Church sees someone whose work was centered on serving the Lord, the family, and the community. He is a model …
This past Monday, when I sat down to start my morning prayer in the corner of an empty bedroom in my house, I suddenly picked up the noise of the cars whizzing by on Eldorado Road, the big street in front of my community. I was puzzled and rather disturbed. Obviously, the traffic had been …
Continue reading "Silence, Solitude, and Simplicity: A Short Reflection on the Winter Storm of 2021"
Humility is not a virtue that always comes to the top of our mind when we think about great leadership nowadays, but it is an essential element of leadership. Humility enables leaders to acknowledge that they are not indispensable, and that the mission of their organization is far more important than themselves. Here is a …
Continue reading "The Courage to End: When Great Leaders Humbly Exit"
A recent awful car-buying experience and the rise of robots made me think whether I’ll be better off buying cars from robots in the future. After all, the world is moving towards online and contactless buying. To check my idea, I “talked” to the thoughtful English scholar and writer C. S. Lewis and tapped his …
Between Barcelona and Malaga lie the coastal regions of Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida of southeastern Spain. Their beautiful beaches and weather are popular with the European tourists but relatively unknown to Americans. Last fall I got a chance to visit Alicante and Cartagena, two ancient and charming cities in those regions whose histories date …
Continue reading "Along Spain’s Southeastern Coast: The Charming Alicante and Cartagena"
"I can't believe it's June already," a few people told me, and I echoed their sentiment. June marks the end of spring in the North Texas area where I live, and gone are the delightful, cool mornings in the 50s (10°C). The days now start in the 70s (21°C), and they easily heat up to …
“Mom, Dad, just to let you know, I have accepted the offer to become a FOCUS missionary. I will start next year after I graduate.” These were the words of Austin, our youngest child, earlier this month. Both Lili, my wife, and I had known for some time that this was coming. Still, we felt …
Continue reading "Towards the Grace of Uncertainty: When My Son Wants to Become A Missionary"
For my Lenten resolution this year, I decided on something simple: read five books that I already owned. One of them was “St. Francis of Assisi, A Biography” by Fr. Omar Englebert [1], which I read over a couple of weeks in March. In that span of 16 days, Covid-19 had morphed from a far-off …
Continue reading "What Would St. Francis of Assisi Do In This Troubling Time?"
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE, WORK, AND FAITH IN THE 21ST-CENTURY AMERICA 