May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord let His Face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord look kindly upon you and grant you Eternal Peace.

It's the sixth anniversary of your passing, Cau Nam.
I pray that the Lord bless your soul and grant you Peace.
I pray for Mo Nam and your children.
I pray for your grandchildren and the generations to come that might not know you.
You are one of the three pillars that formed the foundation of our extended family in America.

May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord let you live on in our memory and our love;
May the Lord grant you a place in Heaven, where you may look over us.

My Father

 

My Father - His well defined square jaws gave his face a stern look.  His bright eyes shined with unhidden pride.  Although his sociable, talkative, lively personality made him such a fun loving person, he was the most patient and diligent man I have ever known.  He worked so hard for so many years raising 10 children: 7 boys and 3 girls.  All his energy and efforts investing in the family had made us, his children, who we are today.

I remembered in 1965, the first time I saw father cried.  That evening, in pouring rain, an army jeep drove up to our door.  When the driver stopped, my father stepped out carrying my little brother Thao.  Walking straight into the house, he put Thao down on the hardwood daybed.  My little brother was motionless.  My father's gaze swept quickly  through all of us as he broke a loud cry.  Two streams of tears ran down his bony face.  He announced: " Em Thao had died!"  Oh, what pain he must have felt!  The pain of a father losing his child.  Back then, I did not understand that pain. 

Then as the years went by, father struggled in many ways to provide for the family.  Besides his conventional work in the bureaucratic post, he moonlighted any job he could find, even if it was not the most legal one, such as retailing army merchandise.  My father sacrificed so much for his children.  I remembered, for a while, he ventured with some acquaintances in running a sewer cleaning service, hoping to bring home a little extra money.  In those years, his only mode of transportation was a sky-blue moped (Vespa).  Rain or shine, day or night, he rode his moped to work.  There were many nights he did not get home until 10 pm.  Then woke up the next morning at 5 am to start his day job again.

When the Vietnam war ended, our fate intertwined with that of the country.  Our family had to migrate to Saigon according to our aunt's plea.  She was my father's next younger sister.  Love reunited our families and freedom propelled us all to leave Vietnam on April 30th, 1975.

When we arrived in the US, my father, with his patience and endurance, struggled laboriously to make a living for our family.  In those early days in a foreign country, my father sacrificed so much, so quietly, to weather so many bitter storms coming his way. But he never complained a word to his children.  (Who would ever have understood the depth of his soul!).  My father did once say:  " My nephew is a priest.  I cannot do anything controversial".

In his sixties, with old age and fragile health...unfortunately my father had to pack his suitcase and leave for Houston where he lived off his two younger sisters.  In his lonely old age, father left everything behind, living like a hunted fugitive.  The only love that sustained him at the time was that of his sisters' families, and a lady friend whom he later came to know in Houston.  She shared with father the lonely and depressed time of his life, well into his seventies, until the day he gave his last breath.  That was January 18, 2009.

                                                Into the night, thinking of you, father.

                                                                Your son, Be

Written in Vietnamese by Anh Be, translated into English by Huyen

Fourth Year Anniversary

In two weeks, it will be the fourth anniversary of the passing of Cau Nam.
My Dad just came back from the ER on Monday; he is getting weaker.
His trips to the ER are getting more frequent.
Thank God for Huy-Hoang living nearby.
My Mom is getting older and meeker.
Her hair is all grayed out and her smile more forced.
Di Bay too is getting older, as we saw her last Christmas.

May the Lord bless them and keep them.
May the Lord let His Face shine upon them and be gracious to them.
May the Lord look kindly upon them and give them another year of health and happiness.

Vui

May the Lord bless you, Cau Nam.
Things are getting better for me and my family.
Thank you.

In Remembrance of My Dad on His 78th Birthday

Tomorrow is my Dad's 78th Birthday, I would like to dedicate this song to him.
Wanting to thank him for all of the sacrifices that he did for all of us. Being a Father now myself to only 4 girls, not 10 kids like my Dad was, and having to make some personal sacrifices, I can truly appreciate my Dad's gifts to all of his children; that is, his hard work and ability to to provide for his entire family and giving all of his adult life for the sake of raising all of his children and their well being...




Kiet

Saw Cau Nam on July 14, 2011

I saw Cau Nam again in a dream last night.
I was at my desk working, when he appeared.
He paced back and forth and actually spoke to me this time.
He said, "Your Mom is so blessed."
Usually, it is very rare that a passed-over person would speak directly to me in my dreams.
But this time, Cau Nam actually spoke directly to me.
I was confused, as of what were he talking about.
Cau Nam came over behind me and put his hands on my head, as though to pray with me.
I bowed my head to pray and reached up to touch his hands.
As our hands touched, I felt his tremendous sadness.
I actually felt how much he missed his children. And as a father, I do know that feeling well.
I said to Cau Nam, "May God bless you, Cau Nam."
And with that, Cau Nam smiled and disappeared.

Vui Le
July 14, 2011