So, we have come full circle and now you know the beginning and the
end of my little story about friends and acquaintances in or from
the country of China, the "Middle Kingdom." But I would not like
to end without sharing with you a couple of poignant moments that
stand out in my memory of our exchange students, Fu and Sun Zhe.
The day I took Fu to the airport, we were both sad because we
knew we might not see each other again. We had been through some
trying times together, working out problems in his life, studying
together, dealing with homesickness, and we also had some really
fun times. Now he was about to leave.
I wrote a letter to him
to read on the plane after he left, telling him how much we had
enjoyed having him with us, and wishing him well in his life. My
heart was breaking as I wrote the following little story to describe
my feelings:
There was once a little girl who found a bird with a broken
wing. The bird needed help. The girl brought the bird home
to her father, and they put it into a bird cage so they
could care for it and keep it safe until it healed. For
many weeks the girl and her father cared for the bird. The
bird trusted the girl and the girl loved the little bird.
Finally, the bird was strong and well and the girl knew the
time had come when she must let the bird go. It must go to
where it should be, and live its life as it should. She and
her father let the bird out of the cage, and it paused a
moment, then flew away. The girl, with tears in her eyes,
said to her father, "The bird cage is so empty." The loving
father said to his daughter, "Yes, but aren't the trees full?"
As I watched the plane taxi to the end of the runway before takeoff,
a mockingbird in a small tree about 20 feet away began to sing.
As the plane gathered speed and lifted into the air, the bird was
singing so loudly that I could hardly hear the plane. It was as
though my Father had sent the bird to remind me that my mission
with Fu (or perhaps Fu's mission with me) was done, and he was
where he should be.
Many months later, as Sun Zhe was about to leave us in much
the same way, my daughter had a going-away party for her. Sun Zhe
and my grandson, Russ, were singing together. The three of us
had had so many good times together. Both of them have good
singing voices, and as the tape played, they sang their favorite
song together, with great feeling. As they sang the words to
"My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic", it was as though
they suddenly realized that after tomorrow, they would be far
from each other. They sang "Near, far, wherever you are, my heart
will go on......" When they finished singing, all of us had tears
in our eyes.
Life is full of happy hellos and sad goodbyes.........
I gave my love to these two young people from another country,
and they loved in return. And because of this, we are all richer.
Vv John and Eric: good friends will never be apart from each other.
