It's funny that for me, it's the little things that remind me of my parents. While I was at Macy's yesterday, I came up some pressure cookers, and they reminded me of the one my parents had. Mom used it a lot to make rice soup, rice, and stew. It cooked really fast, and everything tasted very good. I especially like the rice soup my mom made: she'd put different types of rice and a little green peas, dates, and sugar, and after half an hour of cooking the rice soup became really rich and thick. I might have mentioned it in other posts but I don't mind saying it again: my parents' cooking was like no one else's. I can't tell what made it so good, whether it was the way Mom cooked things, or the fresh ingredients, or because I just became accustomed to it.
I remember very clearly that they cooked together alot. Mom did most of the actual cooking: stir-frying, sauteing, boiling, but Dad got the vegetable from the garden, washed them one by one, and cut them up for her. Eating at the Cheng's house was an ordeal, on average I'd say they each spent an hour preparing a meal, although they sometimes might spread the work throughout the day.
How can I put to words what I have lost?
I think shortly after they passed away I watched a movie called Ratatouille, about a mouse wanting to be chef. Towards the end of the movie, the mouse served up a humble dish, Ratatouille, to a highly demanding and harsh food critic. It was rather unimpressive in its appearance, but when the food critic took one bite of it, he had a out of body experience, where he remembers this was exactly how his mother made it for him when he had a bad day.That meal changed his whole outlook on life, and he became a happier man.
That's the way I felt about my parents' cooking. They cooked humble meals, using little portion of meat and sauces, but the food always comes out so flavorful. Its not the type of food you'd serve to guests, but man I'd give anything to just taste one of their steam buns or dumplings! I feel like a kid again when I eat their food.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Timmy looking at my parents photos
Amy recently hung a picture of my mom in the apartment, and another one with my mom and dad. They were really great pictures. The picture with just my mom was taken at my wedding; she looked really good, with her new dress and bouquet. The picture of both of them were taken for the church registry, sometime in March of last year, 3 months before they passed away.
I showed them to Timothy yesterday and he looked at them for a long time. I was at a loss of what to say to him. It really pained me to think that Timmy never saw them in real life, and that my parents never saw Timmy. Once he grows up I will have to explain this to him, and I just know this isn't going to be easy.
I showed them to Timothy yesterday and he looked at them for a long time. I was at a loss of what to say to him. It really pained me to think that Timmy never saw them in real life, and that my parents never saw Timmy. Once he grows up I will have to explain this to him, and I just know this isn't going to be easy.
Our Father in Heaven
I have not posted anything in the past couple of month, but for the year 2012, God willing, I will post something every week, so that I can keep the memories of my parents alive and that my children will know their grandparents and the family past of the Cheng's.
The last time I thought of my parents was in Christmas of 2011. Amy, I and Timmy were at the Bate's house, gathered together for dinner. Before we ate, Daddy Mike prayed to bless the food, saying "Father..." I didn't recall anything else he said, but I just realize that he almost always begins his prayers with "Father..." Now I don't really do that, I just say "God ..." or "Lord ...". That made me think for a long time.
Two days later, when I was talking to Amy, I told her about this. I realize that even though I have lost my father, I have a heavenly Father. I always acknowledged Him as Father, but I never saw Him as Father. That realization brought me to tears. It is emotional to me to think that way, to treat God as your parent, to think of yourself as part of God's family; it brings a warmth deep in my soul.
Realizing that God is your Father is a very powerful notion! That means I must live my life as He lives, just the same way I saw my earthly father and walked in his footsteps. That means He provides for me in the same way my earthly father provided for me. That means He gives me a sense of stability and security in the same way my earthly father had given me. And of course He can do that so much more than my earthly father! I am thankful for my dad, Denghui. He was honest, genuine, and hard-working. He loved me and my mother; he sacrificed a lot for us. I admire his courage.
Something else also caught my eyes in terms of the parent-child relationship. In Genesis 2 it said that God brought animals to Adam to see what he would name them, and whatever name Adam gave, that was its name. I find the way God the Father looking at Adam is somewhat parallel to the way I look at Timothy, my son. I delight in looking at Timothy, as he tries to explore his environment. He grabs things, feels with his hands, slowly bringing them to his mouth, and will try to put them in his mouth even though they are too big to fit in. I am always curious to see what new things he will learn (at nearly 5 months, he is learning new things every day). I can't help but think that as God was looking at Adam, giving names to animals, that He was delighted to see that.
The last time I thought of my parents was in Christmas of 2011. Amy, I and Timmy were at the Bate's house, gathered together for dinner. Before we ate, Daddy Mike prayed to bless the food, saying "Father..." I didn't recall anything else he said, but I just realize that he almost always begins his prayers with "Father..." Now I don't really do that, I just say "God ..." or "Lord ...". That made me think for a long time.
Two days later, when I was talking to Amy, I told her about this. I realize that even though I have lost my father, I have a heavenly Father. I always acknowledged Him as Father, but I never saw Him as Father. That realization brought me to tears. It is emotional to me to think that way, to treat God as your parent, to think of yourself as part of God's family; it brings a warmth deep in my soul.
Realizing that God is your Father is a very powerful notion! That means I must live my life as He lives, just the same way I saw my earthly father and walked in his footsteps. That means He provides for me in the same way my earthly father provided for me. That means He gives me a sense of stability and security in the same way my earthly father had given me. And of course He can do that so much more than my earthly father! I am thankful for my dad, Denghui. He was honest, genuine, and hard-working. He loved me and my mother; he sacrificed a lot for us. I admire his courage.
Something else also caught my eyes in terms of the parent-child relationship. In Genesis 2 it said that God brought animals to Adam to see what he would name them, and whatever name Adam gave, that was its name. I find the way God the Father looking at Adam is somewhat parallel to the way I look at Timothy, my son. I delight in looking at Timothy, as he tries to explore his environment. He grabs things, feels with his hands, slowly bringing them to his mouth, and will try to put them in his mouth even though they are too big to fit in. I am always curious to see what new things he will learn (at nearly 5 months, he is learning new things every day). I can't help but think that as God was looking at Adam, giving names to animals, that He was delighted to see that.
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