To Grandpa 4/22/2011
In Memoriam:
I remember many fond things about Grandpa. Even though there was a huge age gap and he wasn’t as active of a grandpa as many others, it was nice to visit him weekly after I had Chinese School when I was younger. I would think that I was there for him a lot. When I was reminiscing with Kamie that other day, we do have certain things that we will always associate with our beloved “yeh-yeh”. We will fondly remember him and hope that he is at peace.
His beard bits would always poke us and I would always ask him to shave his beard, and he would good-naturedly laugh at me. When i was younger, he cooked me soy sauce chicken which was phenomenal (almost ranking as high as my mom’s soy sauce chicken =) Grandpa was always enthusiastic when Ken and I came to visit weekly when we were kids. We made sure to bring up “dang san”, shark fin soup, and horlick drink occasionally since those were his favorites. Grandpa was also very fond of eel even though it was tricky to eat with the combination of his fake teeth and the many bones that there are. Back in the day, Grandpa would visit the stores, especially Mott Street and everyone would know of him to be Keith’s dad or “sam gu chang”. He wore his signature fedora and a dark navy parka.
I remember he was quite strong and tall for a Chinese man and he made the shelves that would boast all of his children and grandchildren’s pictures through the years. I loved to look at them to see how much we’ve grown and how many memories had been accumulated. Even in the times that I had visited after he had degenerated from diabetes with his sight and hearing getting worse, he would recognize my voice when I ask him “who is your favorite granddaughter” and he always answer “Yuan Ming”. I will miss that a lot.
Remembering a loved one is about the memories that have been accumulated and the moments that I have been blessed to have. It’s a blessing to have known my grandpa in the capacity that I have and may he rest in peace.