Reflections: Officially retired ... Or am I?
@roleerob at Retirement Party 17 Jan 2019
As I remembered the conversation I had with my esteemed religious elder brother Steve three years ago, I had new thoughts and feelings!
The man standing in the beautiful and abundant North American nature in the photo is Steve.π
I always feel envious and jealous of Steve when I see the rich and beautiful natural environment of North America!
The Japanese called the North American continent a world blessed by God!
Most East Asians like me had poor childhoods, like the children in thoes photo.
However, as I read Steve's articles with my awkward English reading skills, I guessed that his childhood was not a happy one either!
Looking at Steve's face, I guessed that his parents might have divorced.
Because Steve's facial expression looked similar to Joseph's!
The handsome man in the photos is Joseph!π
Joseph said I could use his pictures freely, but I'm still worried that he might be offended by my actions!
I call him the most handsome monkey king in the world!
My family said Joseph was big, healthy and strong! I felt like Joseph was stubborn!π
Joseph lived in Vietnam for five years as a Baptist missionary. He told me about himself and his family.
I thought Joseph lived in a not-so-happy home!
As I look at Joseph's life, I think about what is personally the greatest wound to Americans!
I used to think that divorce was the greatest personal sorrow and pain Americans had ever felt!
As I watched Joseph's life, I guessed that Steve must have lived a similar life!
Looking at the expression on Steve's face, I guessed that he must have been deeply hurt by his family's divorce during his childhood!
Comparing the lives of Steve and Joseph, I was reminded of a famous East Asian proverb!
ι‘ι‘ηΈεΎ It means that people who have lived similar lives will meet each other!
In English, it is interpreted as having a similar meaning to Birds of a feather flock together!π
I remember Joseph living in Oregon, but Steve probably lives in a state with a population of 570,000!π
I can easily get to the state where Joseph lives, but I'm afraid I'll go to the state where Steve lives and get lost!π
The vastness of the North American continent always amazes me!
Oregon is a familiar place to East Asians, but the area where Steve lives is less well known.
I live in a small country, so I don't know the lives of Americans living on a vast continent! However, watching the lives of Steve and Joseph, I felt the personal sorrow and hurt that all Americans have in common!
I thought that Americans felt the most painful and sad reality of their families being separated through divorce!
I felt that the greatest sorrow and pain of the American people was written on the faces of Steve and Joseph!
I felt that by looking at the personal history of Steve and Joseph's American lives, I had discovered a common personal history of all Americans!
I thought Americans felt the greatest pain and sorrow over the breakdown of their family relationships, the disintegration and separation of families!
Disclaimer Joseph has always been generous with allowing me to post personal photos of him and write about his private life.
So, I was always grateful to Joseph. But, I wonder how Steve feels about my actions!π
I hope Steve doesn't feel offended by my awkward English!