Life is a Journey not a Destination - Thanks to a life-long family 2/11/2017

Life is a journey, not a destination

I am taking a six days’ break from Westlake Village, CA – daughter & son-in-law’s new home, where I have been on the mission of caring my second grand baby’s birth since November 20, 2016.  The father-in-law from Portland, Oregon came to town to visit his second grand baby and see their new house this week.  My active adventurous spirit is in play.  I figured I should let Hans and father and grandkids have some precious family time together.  I hopped in the car and started an 89 miles’ trip down to southern California, Laguna Woods – a retirement community.  I wanted to pay a personal visit to one family who was my lifelong friend after I left Blacksburg, Virginia from graduate school in 1974.  

My gratitude to one family – Dr. and Mrs. Kao from Lynchburg, Virginia who were so special in my life.  

The story line - I just got my first job in America as a special education teacher at Campbell County Brookville Middle School.  The superintendent, Dr. Oats, shook my hands at the interview panel table and told me after he offered me the job, “Mrs. Chang, congratulation, but, you must visit a Taiwanese family in town, they were the kindest Taiwanese in Lynchburg.”  I left with the anxious mind excited about my first job in America but not thinking about where I should stay.  Little did I know The Kao’s family just took me in with free meal and board without any 2^nd thought.   

My gratitude to them was deep and the friendship extended not only to their children and our children, but to their grandchildren as well.  We never lost contact no matter where we moved.  I was 25 years old, Ben, my husband 28, still in Virginia Tech finishing his PHD then, and they were around 40 years old.  Dr. Kao was also a PHD graduate from VPI and a well-known nuclear engineer at B&W – Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Reactor.  Like thousands of Chinese graduates who were eventually called the Chinese Americans, made their way by hard work and quiet adaption and assimilation into America’s culture. 

Li-lin, their oldest daughter, the America’s Junior Miss finalist from Virginia was about 18 years old.  We have been keeping close contact forever ever since.  The friendship lasts when she was in town and brought her oldest son, Travis, and my son to play soccer at one time in Eric’s soccer League.  All her three sons were in the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Team because Phil, her husband was a dedicated volunteer soccer coach.

"Life is a journey, not a destination." I took this trip as I started with intention to express my thanks to them.  I did not want to seek an escape from the reality of me as a grandmother in Westlake Village, CA.   They are all 80+ years old now.  We all have so much stories to share in our lives.  So, I just took them around doing errands – grocery shopping, fixing Mrs. Kao’s cell phone and teaching Dr. & Mrs. Kao the basic and some complex skills about how to use their computers.  Both are still so mentally sharp even though the slow key strokes due to age related dexterity and coordination issues won’t stop them from keeping them on-line connection with their senior friends and relatives everywhere via LINE, SKYPE and of course E-mails daily.  Believe or not, Mrs. Kao received more phone calls from her Smart Phone than I did with my Flip phone.  I learned the terms from AT&T Service Center’s young Wiz kid yesterday when we were there to fix Mrs. Cell phone – Smart Phone.  My Flip phone will probably be in the museum one-day.

We had the best COSTCO Hot-dog and Pizza lunch yesterday while the shoppers looked at us busy wheeling around the four-wheels, walking canes with four prongs and sometime wheel chairs in and out the restroom.  It’s a lot of walking in the big COSTCO showroom.  We tend to take for granted for the simplest walking, in and out of the car and pushing the shopping carts for granted.  It’s a challenge for both.  Dr. Kao had stroke and Mrs. Kao had knee operation in the past. 

I took them to their Sunday church service – Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church and I was warmly invited to stand up to express my sincerest thanks to them among 150+ church goers.

I walked with Dr. Kao around Laguna Wood’s beautiful retirement community every afternoon.  Look at all the blossoming prune flowers and abundant bright-yellow lemon fruits hanging on the tree.  I thought the season was a mixed up to me.  It’s still a winter in East Coast to me.  But, it’s 75 degree in Laguna Woods.  

Oh, well, folks, it’s Valentine’s Day today.  I showed you the group project I made with my grandson, Forest, when his teacher told the parents to prepare and bring 17+ Valentine stuff to school.  We cut with Origami paper last week before I left and I told him to do it with his crayons and stuff them in the envelopes with his grandfather from Portland, Oregon, this week.  

Happy Valentine to you all!  I should be back to Westlake Village on Thursday.

Janice Chang