What My Father, Al Tsang, Taught Me - Lori Jean Tsang

My father is gone and I am sad.

Even though I know this pain

is the price we pay for having love in our lives.

I remember the last thing I did before leaving the hospital room

and saying goodbye was to thank him for everything he taught me.

First, he taught me to be thankful,

and I am thankful -- for having him here with us for so long

while so many other fathers had already gone.

My father taught me to think critically,

even though critical thinking may lead to unpopular views.

Like when he wrote that he must keep his thoughts comparing the 9-11 events

to the firebombing of Tokyo to himself or he would be clobbered.

My father taught me to be a person of conscience -- the way he courageously

confronted his feelings of remorse for his part in a military

campaign that killed thousands of civilians.

My father taught me to feel compassion and forgiveness

through how his feelings of anger at the Japanese bombing

of his village became transformed into sorrow for the loss

of lives on both sides.

My father taught me to have faith in the human potential for good

through his ability to remain hopeful for a more just and peaceful society

despite the discrimination and wartime trauma he experienced.

Through a life of public service, he taught me a sense of social responsibility

and community with others.

He taught me to be thankful for what I have

and not envious of others, so I could experience

joy and peace.

Because my father was not perfect, but human,

he taught me to set high standards for myself

even though I may fail to live up to them,

and that I was still loved.

And because my father taught me all these things,

I know that he will always be with me

as I try to honor his life by trying to live mine

with faith and courage, as he lived his.