It has been practically over five years when I last posted on this blog since Mikael passed away on November 10, 2009.
I have not been able to do anything that reminds me of life with my son. Almost six years have gone by, I find that time does not heal any wounds; it simply provides me with different perspective with which to live.
There have been many significant life events that memorialize Mikael in the past near-six years.
A new baby boy was born to Mikael's good friends, Matt and Rebecca Van Otterloo, who attended the same home church as Kael. It was Matt and Rebecca who urged Mikael to go to the hospital for a check-up after an accident on his bike with a city bus. Mikael played his oboe to a hauntingly beautiful tune, "Gabriel's Oboe" from the movie, "The Mission".
I did not know the Otterloos at that time. But, God, as usual, works in mysterious ways.
As I was leaving the hospital after having visited a friend, a young nurse came out of her nurse station and stopped me, "Are you Mikael's Dad?" I remembered the joy that swelled in my heart when I replied, "Yes. I am... You knew Mikael?" The rest is history. Matt and Rebecca came to visit us several times, the last of which, they brought along with them their new-born son whose middle name is selected to honour Mikael, Isaiah Mikael Van Otterloo.Our Father God is a loving God to all of us, including an undeserving sinner like me, particularly and specifically to an undeserving sinner like me. He knows how broken I am at my deep loss. He gave us another boy to lift me up in my misery.
On February 16, 2014, our youngest son, Konrad, his wife and we celebrated the birth of our first grandchild, Atticus Leif Tsz Lim Chan. I know this graceful gift from God is not to fill the huge hole in my heart, but to lift me out of it to receive other gifts of grace God has provided for me in my life.
Debbie and I were over-joyed to have our first grandson. I was successful in making a special request of my employer to allow an extension to my Spring Break. Debbie and I flew to Hong Kong to welcome this new-born grandChan into our family. Atty, by which he is known, is a joyous blessing in our lives.
Though we are oceans apart, Konrad, Bena, and Atty came home for Christmas, along with Mons, Ming, and Erik. This past Christmas was a jubilant family reunion since Konrad and Bena's wedding five-and-a-half years ago in Vancouver.
I decided to retire at Christmas, 2014. Thus, the past Christmas we celebrated our family reunion, Atty's birth, Debbie and my 41st Anniversary, and my retirement from a fruitful and wonderful career for the past 41 years as an educator.
Both the students and staff gave me two heart-warming farewells. I felt that God has called me to take care of the young, and I left at the highest note in my calling.
Mikael would be proud to be at my retirement parties!
Now that I have learned to couch-potato for the past 4 months, I figure I must take care of my most unfit self festered by an inexcusable and sedentary lifestyle. I decided to dust off Mikael's awesome bike in the basement and take on a new activity.
Having spent nearly $200 to have the bike tuned up, I was ready to take it for a test-ride. Lo and behold! I fell down each of the three times, the last one hurt my left shoulder and bruised my ribs. I am still limping after a visit to my doctor's office, an X-Ray at a lab, and a sound chiding from my physiotherapist.
Oh well! I live to tell more stories. This is just a sequel to the "Misadventures of Mikael Chan", Mikael's own blog that lightheartedly story-tell his misadventures in life... and he had many, being the extreme adventurer that he was.
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