My father was asked to speak at church. When that particular Sunday arrived, he was ready. When it was finally his turn to speak, he started out with an incredible story. He shared his experience of hunting tigers in the jungles of China with his father. I don't know all the details, but I think he accounted one experience in particular and he related all the crucial details of one specific hunt. It was riveting. It was tense. The congregation gave him their undivided attention. After he finished the story, he used it as an analogy for the topic of his message. To be honest, I don't even know what that topic was. After the meeting, friends told him how much they enjoyed that story and thanked him for his spiritual sharing.
This is the funny part...my dad made the whole thing up! Yes, he fabricated a fake experience to fit the needs of his gospel sharing and told it to probably a congregation of at least 100 people. What?! Later on I asked him why he would do that...he just smiled and explained that nobody would question its authenticity. He was right too. At that time we were the only Chinese family in the stake. My dad was the only man from China. He could make up anything he wanted and people would believe it. China was an exotic country that nobody around here really knew about. That might be different now, but back then, China was a mysterious place, and my dad knew it. Clever man.
I imagine my mother rolling her eyes as all of this unfolded. If I could go back in time, I would sit with my patient mother at that meeting while my dad was telling lies to the entire congregation. That would be a priceless experience. I smile just thinking about it.
Later on my dad did tell people in church that he made up the story. I bet there were some people who were disappointed, but I'm sure they enjoyed the story anyway. Everyone got a good laugh out of it. There were others who still believed the story to be true and my dad had fun with that. It became a mystery whether the story was true or false. And years later, people would still talk to him about his tiger hunting experiences.
This post is dedicated to my Dad. It was his birthday yesterday and I wanted to do something special for him. He can afford everything he needs and wants and so I figured it would be more valuable to share with him my thoughts and some lessons I have learned from him. Some are funny and silly, but all are meaningful. These lessons aren't in any particular order. If anything, it is chronological.
Lessons Learned from a Chinese Tiger (the tiger is my Dad...obviously)
Don't be a Picky Eater. When I was maybe four or five, I absolutely refused to finish the veggies on my plate. We had that veggie medley on our plates of peas, carrots, and corn. When I was young, I loathed peas. So naturally, I didn't want to eat them. My father struck me a deal. For every pea I didn't eat, I would have to take a slap on the hand for it. I didn't think that was a bad deal so I immediately accepted and held out my hand for the first slap. To make a long story short, I only lasted two hand slaps and I ate the rest of my peas. I didn't take my dad up on that offer ever again.Kisses are a form of currency. Growing up, if I needed help from my dad, he would always ask, " What do I get? " When I was really young, I would shrug and then he would immediately suggest, " how about ten kisses on the cheek? " And of course I would give him the kisses, alternating cheeks so that it was even on both sides. As I grew older, I caught on and didn't have to wait for him to suggest. I would offer my price on how many kisses I would give. I started having a running tab of kisses that I owed him and a lot of the time I would whine and be reluctant to give him more kisses. I'm pretty sure I owe him more kisses than I can ever pay back. I know this lesson seems silly, but I think there is something to be learned. This is a great example of parental love to a child. This mirrors the love Heavenly Father has for each one of us. I don't think I will be able to truly understand this kind of love until I have a child of my own. My dad only asks for kisses, and when I am reluctant to pay, he helps me anyway. I am truly grateful to my dad for doing this. It not only lets me know he loves me, but also teaches me of Heavenly Father's love for all of his children. I plan on continuing this practice with my future kids.
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| If you're wondering, I'm the little baby in my dad's arms. :) |
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| taken from thewoksoflife.com |
The secret ingredient is the green onion.
So my dad loves to cook. He doesn't like baking so much, but cooking is where it's at for him. For a time there was this one chinese dish he would cook all the time that required green onions. A picture of this dish is on the right. It's one of my all-time favorites. He went through a phase where he cooked this all the time. And always, without fail, at the dinner table he would say, " the secret is in the green onions." Pretty soon he started saying that for other dishes and it became an inside joke for our family. My dad always enlisted our help to prepare dinner. My father-in-law recently complimented me on how well I chop vegetables. I owe that one to my dad. Because of his insistence that we help him with dinner, I have learned many of my cooking skills and repertoire of asian dishes. I'm also going to put a plug in here for my mom too. She has also taught me a ton about cooking and my childhood is filled with happy memories of her savory dishes. Thanks Mom.
Don't mess with Asian Pride. In my senior year of high school, I ran for student body president. The previous two years, I had been class vice president for student government, so it was pretty much expected I would be student body vice president. I could have ran for student body VP and easily taken the position, but oh me...I didn't. Instead I ran for student body president against my good friend who had been president since 6th grade. Why did I do that? Honestly, I think I was just curious to see what would happen. There have been many who have run against her, but she has always been victorious. We both ran a good campaign, and it was close, but I did not win. And I really didn't have any hard feelings. I had a good experience being in student government, and I knew our student government would be in good hands. But anyway, the lesson I learned was during my campaign. I used slogans with Chinese characters that represented honor, virtue, and truth. I don't remember exactly the sayings on the posters, but throughout the entire process, my father taught me more about our Chinese heritage and it made me realize how proud he was to be Chinese. Ever since I was young, he has been involved in the Chinese community, volunteering his time to organize events and share with others about Chinese culture. He loves learning about Chinese history. His example has taught me to be proud of who I am and the special heritage that I have. I hope I can carry on that Asian pride to my future kids.
I know that was only five lessons, and there are plenty more and counting, but I think I will stop for now. I know my dad is not perfect and he has his weaknesses, BUT he is still my hero. I am so grateful for his love and patience throughout the years. Happy Birthday Dad! I hope this year is a good one filled with awesome adventures.
I love you!
Jessica
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| my awkward years if you can't tell :) |
