The Big Day Approaches

In three days I will be on my way to Washington, DC to join in the festivities leading up to my son’s wedding. It feels as if Derek came into the world only a few years ago, weighing 7 pounds and looking totally different from his older sister who was unmistakably Asian at birth. Though we rarely saw them as he slept for hours at a time, he had sky blue eyes, light blond hair and a fair complexion. A placid baby, he snoozed through his first four months, even when taken in a basket to “see” Star Wars! Nothing fazed him so long as he was well fed-from long and skinny he soon turned into a little butterball…. When he finally woke up, however, he devoured the world around him, consumed by curiosity and the passion of the moment: blocks, legos, marble shoots, Greek and Roman mythology, entomology, photography, tarantulas, Dungeons and Dragons, Western and Eastern philosophy, Buddhism, neuroscience and finally social justice.
Co-founder with Katherine Chon [in their senior year at Brown University], of the Polaris Project, today the leading anti-human trafficking and modern day slavery NGO in the US and Japan, at age 33, Derek is about to set off on the most momentous adventure of his lifetime. In making the ultimate commitment to his soulmate Sandra, and she to him, they are entering into another dimension, inextricably linked together, yet deeply respectful of each other’s individuality, space and mutual needs.

Parenting isn’t easy, in fact it is undoubtedly the most challenging and rewarding undertaking I have ever experienced. My sweet mother used to say, “Once a parent, forever a parent” as indeed she was until her death at 94. I therefore look forward to sharing in Derek’s and Sandra’s lives for decades to come, witness and participant as they teach and learn from each other, rejoice in the unexpected, support one another through the inevitable difficult and painful times, and endeavor to maintain the ideal balance between safeguarding their deepening relationship while giving of themselves to world.

Fortunately both on my side and Sandra’s side, nurturing the “family,” caring for each other among the generations and exalting as the circles grow larger and larger, is considered a source of joy, a precious gift and a top priority.

You probably won’t hear from me next Saturday but I promise to post some photos and give you a taste of the happy event!

Love,
Mei-Mei [blessed to have two unique children who have chosen paths which both bring them immense personal fulfillment and contribute to ensuring greater justice, freedom and equality on a sustainable level to those in need.]