Yue Kong Suen

February 23, 2013

David Suen

I always believe that if you look back in your life, you may find that sometime, somewhere and someone in your life did something, perhaps not very significant at that time, but completely changed the course of your life. To me this person is my mother.

More than 63 years ago, 1949, it was the year that the Chinese Nationalist Government totally collapsed in China and retreated to Taiwan. It was also a decisive year for me when I had to face the possibilities of living in either one of the two extremely different worlds. It could go either way. By luck and mostly by my mother’s wisdom, courage and her special character she didn’t want to take a “No” for answer, she made a crucial decision, at a critical moment, beat all the odds and brought me and my sisters out of China. This was a point of no return for my life.

That is because it was in the midst of the great exodus in 1949 to get out of China before the Communists took over. The Communists were near Foochow City already, we had to take the last freighter leaving Foochow for Taiwan in haste, but we were not allowed to board the ship because we lacked Entry Permits to Taiwan. The Entry Permit at that time was supposed to be mailed out already by father from Taiwan, but my mother had not received yet in Foochow. It was at a time of extreme chaos and there is no more ship leaving from Foochow to Taiwan! It was now or never!

Mother didn't want to take a "No" for an answer. At that critical moment she decided to go straight to the Post Office to check if there was any mail for her, and she couldn't believe her eyes because she found a mail containing the Entry Permit in the postman's bag before he could deliver it. With the permit in hand we finally were allowed to board the freighter and got to Taiwan next morning.

We may still be in China today if my mother didn't go to check the mail that day.

We may miss all our friends here today if my mother didn't go to check the mail that day.

From that point on, life has been rather smooth sailing all the way. I went through high school and college in Taiwan, college in Minnesota, working in New York, working for Boeing for 31 years, now I have retired for 13 years and settled down in my Bellevue home. I count my blessings, and I am quite content with the lifestyle that I have today because I live in a free society. This includes the enjoyment of beautiful lakes, magnificent mountains, nice family, good friends, midnight piano, bridge, swimming, woodworks, Old Country Buffet…. etc. I really cannot ask for anything more, but I must say I owe everything to her. All these things I have today would not be possible if 63 years ago my mother didn’t go to check the mail that day.

She lived in Taiwan for a total of 30 years that was probably the best years of her life. By the time all her children were not in Taiwan any more, she decide it was time to move again to be with her children and grandchildren. My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 and settled in Bellevue Washington.

They lived a quiet life for more than 20 years in Bellevue, but aging gradually sets in. At first my father started weakening; he fought with prostate problem and finally passed away in 2001. Mother was not quite prepared, and couldn't face the fact of losing him, her condition also started to go down, physically and mentally. A year later she broke her right hip joint, but luckily after hip joint replacement she could stand up and walk again.

2006 was the year for her centennial birthday celebration, she was happy and alert, I took a picture showing the best smile in her life, but in 2009 she fell again and broke her left leg, this time luck ran out, she couldn't get up to walk again, and became bedridden. Once she became bed ridden, she needed three persons to help her with life’s necessities. When it reached this point we decided to transfer her to a nursing home.

I always felt guilty for being unable to do more for her. Staying in nursing home cannot be a pleasant experience for anyone even though Keiro Nursing Home has very good facilities and services. For all the years she stayed there, it can roughly be classified into 4 stages: 1. I want to go home. 2. Getting used to it. 3.Dimishing ability to speak. 4.No food, no drink.

Three weeks ago she started entering the last stage. She couldn't eat nor drink and the intravenous needle could not be inserted into her veins.

She was ready to rest.

I hope now that the after-life does exist and that she is reunited with my father, I wish her well and a happy reunion after a long separation of 12 years.