Monday, November 26, 2007

Message from Dad (Aug 16, 07)

An email from my dad:

Hi Cindy,

How are you doing? Yesterday, we had a pretty girl to give us a presentation on a Hedge Fund. She was quite smart. She made me think of you and wonder whether you are doing the same type of work when you go abroad.
Regards,
Dad

I was touched by this note from my dad and cried a bit after reading it. As I told a few close friends in an email this morning: I see my doctor more often than I see my own parents even though they live in the same city as me. I've always been proud of my parents for being so cool and independent, and I never suspected that they might actually miss me sometimes.

As many of my friends know, my parents have always given me plenty of freedom and space since I was a little girl. Some parents show their love through hugs and kisses, or nagging, or words. My parents show it through setting me free and not interfering with my life - and I suppose I've taken that for granted all these years.

My parents, like me, don't like to pry. Sometimes when I visit them, I sit around and don't talk much. (If I meet them in the city though, usually I'm more cheerful and bubbly.) I suppose that after all these years, they instinctively know that there must be something bothering me and I just am not in a chatty mood. They are cool with it, and never try to force me to talk about whatever it is that's bothering me. They just let me be.

This Sunday I plan to visit them again. If my Aunt Maggie wasn't arriving that day, I would probably be quiet during my visit - the past few days have been... unpleasant (an understatement). BUT, my Aunt Maggie IS visiting and I genuinely am very eager to see her. She is my mom's twin sister from Toronto and she is almost like my second mother. I miss her a lot and can't wait to see her.

Anyways, I will make an effort to see more of my parents from now on. I'll stop assuming that because they don't say it they don't hope to see me more.

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