Home Return after Dad’s Departure

Ever since Dad passed away in February, the Family was worry about Mom’s wellbeing. Plan was hence made shortly afterward for me to go home for a short 2-week visit in early September (9/1 - 9/15). Now I am back in the States to recount what's happened during those memorable days, which, I felt, went by indeed too fast.

Besides spending time with Mom in convalescent home （兆如安養中心）, where I stayed in its guest apartment, we actually traveled a great deal in and around Taipei – we went to the tallest building in Taiwan (Taipei 101 台北 101, below);

we took the fastest train in Taiwan (the Taiwan High Speed Rail 台灣高鐡, left); and, wouldn't you believe this, we went aboard the newest attraction in Taipei, the Maokong Condola (cable-car 貓空纜車, below) and enjoyed a great look at the facinating Taipei Night Skyline.

The most poignant trip is the one we visited Dad’s grave in Heavenly Cemetery （天境墓園）in the Young-Ming National Park（陽明山國家公園）. It was a beautiful day. The flowers we brought with us and left at the head-stone replicated the beauty of those late-summer flowers planted in the Park nearby. We also went to visit some of mom’s old friends, young and old: had coffee with my Godmother （吳錫乾媽, below）;

visited our old neighbor two-houses down （馬媽媽, right）; got together with another old neighbor behind our house（陳媽媽, below）, who now lives just a

few apartments away on the same floor in the same building; visited Rev. Jiang（江淑鶯牧師）in XingZhui（新竹）and had dinner with Alice Lin（林德昭）, whose mom, passed away more than ten year ago, was Mom’s best friend, neighbor and church colleague.