30/11/2020
It would ever stir up ripples in our deep emotions whenever we think of things that ever happened to us for the first time, in our lives. Like many people would never forget about their first loves. Those heart-rending poetries; songs with enchanting lyrics, even the romance didn’t end it as happily ever after. There are two significant events in 2020 that would probably be the First Time for many to encounter, or to witness, globally.
Would people ever puzzle how a vision of a small bug as COVID-19 that has affected the normalcy of people’s daily life, works, travels, regional and global economics for nearly a year? No one knows when this pandemic would put to an end. The First time, I witnessed a sweet virtual church wedding for our young lady friend, and parents were devastated for not giving their beloved daughter a proper wedding. It cut my heart twice when I couldn’t travel back to Hong Kong to see my beloved aunt for the last time, and to attend her funeral, respectively.
The 2020 US Election, First time in the modern history with its highest turnout rate ( as estimated 161 million), and people around the world tuned to watch situations of how voters to cast their ballots. It is the First time, for Americans, and the world to witness a Black Woman, with Asian ethnic DNA to possibly become the running mate for the US president. And the First time, Mr Biden is 78 years old, and age doesn’t matter. While Americans still wait for the winner, Trump falsely declared himself the winner. The election saga brought back many of my ‘ First Time’ encounters with the US.
It was nothing that I would be dreaming of, but in late 1970, I had my first White Christmas, in Chicago, where my uncle David and his family lived. The First time, I ever saw many beautiful homes with Christmas trees, decorations, and lights on the driveways in the neighbourhood of Deerfield, Ill., which non like any gigantic gingerbread house that was on the shop window. Archie and Gerald, my other two cousins, flew in from Lincoln, Nebraska for the school break. Every day was a train ride for three of us to the city, downtown. My eyes First opened to Skyscrapers like the Water Tower Place; the 110-story Sears Towner, then, and is now the Willis Tower and many praiseworthy, award-winning architectures that animate the entire city. Festivities, Christmas Carols and the dazzling displays of merchandise inside the shops and department stores.
The First time, I walked into the Lord & Taylor, to do my First Christmas shopping. The store was huge in area as a small town to me, and I found it hard to pick a necktie for my uncle, out of, if not one thousand, but hundreds of choices. Then I was curious what would happen when the arrival of the new merchandise for the coming seasons? Of course, my First time to have the deep dished pizza for lunches was unforgetable. It has set the tone for me since, especially after I become a Christian that Christmas must be in a cool place. God has been gracious to us. We had only a few of our Christmas in Tropics. If it were not in the US, it would either be in Japan ( mostly in Tokyo with less flying times from Singapore), Taiwan or Hong Kong. The most memorable one was our Vatican Christmas, in Rome, 2013. We attended Pope Francis’ First Christmas Eve mass and Christmas day benediction to the world from St Peter’s Basilica, as the New Pope. From there on, whenever, we were in Tokyo, we would attend the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in the Catholic church for the spirit of reverence.
In early 1984, I returned to the US and for my advance education, as planned. The most significant, life-changing First time happening for me was to allow Jesus to be the Lord of my life. My First set back, according to the student consul, after the evulation, according to the ‘ 1985 Calendar’ that I needed to make up a little over 100 units of general education, Classes such as ‘Political Science 201.’ Besides knowing the ‘Check and Balance System.’ First time, I heard that the philosophy of US politics is to run the country like running a business. And Class as ‘Logic 101,’ to learn how to think critically. In my entire being, I was in a hurry to get into the next level. Still, every day, in the campus was like me into a candies store. My American dream is to have US$1 million in my bank account, so I can take classes from one Major to another.
There was cross country tension in trade, especially with the garment exports into the US from many Asian counties. Thus, I choose the US Textile, Apparel and Apparel Related Industries as my career emphasis in my studies. Researches involved in the ‘US Textile Quota System,’ ‘ Place-Of-Origin, Labelling Laws in Garments,’ and ‘MFA (Multi-Fiber-Arrangements).’ I had the chance to look at the ‘US Tariff Schedule on Textiles,’ and to soak up the air of the campaigns on ‘Clothing Made-In-USA’ movement. I worked very hard to put up a term paper that expounded the dilemma in ‘US Apparel/Apparel Related Quota.‘ It was by God’s power, I Aced+ the report, and I had one year of internship with one of the top five Textile companies at its LA branch office. Finally, the ‘Clothing Quota System’ ended on January 1 2005.
I struggled with my time management when programs on ‘Retail Management’ and ‘Fashion Merchandising’ were made available. Miraclously, with the flexibility of the US school system, I got approval to do it and was allowed to take 18 units/per quarter on-campus. It pained me deeply when the news on Lord & Taylor, America’s oldest department store went into Chapter 11, in August, 2020. With my hectic schedule, it was only by God’s Grace that I was able to find times to watch the 1984 Olympic on TV, Dudley Moore in Concert, Live, in Hollywood Bowl. As a movie bug, I couldn’t complain that I was in the center of Hollywood with more movies and mini TV series that I could watch. I daily tuned into Mr Peter Jennings (1938-2005) world news, and ‘The 60Minutes+ Interview’ on weekend. (https://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/).
For the First time, every Sunday was a 45-minute drive, one way, for me to attend church at the famed Crystal Cathedral (a towering glass megachurch, has become a Catholic church now). Soon, I learned that God’s church is not about a building, and settled for a smaller, Word-based church. With the triple dosage of God’s grace, that I had another White Christmas and the New Year Eve countdown in Time Square, in the City of New York for the First time in my life. Later, I moved to the Bay Area for the First time to help out my late cousin, David with his business for less than a year, before I head back to Asia for work. It would be an injustice not to bring up San Francisco. But I instead let an old song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” that not only later become one of the ‘Song Of The Century, and also resonate ardently till today, to allude.
Every year, I made a point to go back to Los Angles for emotional reasons before I was married. Arthur and I were able to have a few of Chicago, and New York revisits from Singapore after we married. He has never keen on the rapid driving in Los Angeles, and San Francisco is more a sensible place for us. Best of all, Archie, my cousin lives there. In 2008, it was our First Time, to witness the Bush/Obama Presidential Election. We saw Archie, and an architect spent a lot of times on the ballot paper before he went to the voting booth, the next morning. It was absolutely a fantastic, educational experience that would stay in our memories forever. But deep inside, we both puzzled how people would know how to vote if they didn’t understand what’s in the ballot paper?
As I was looking back and I sincerely felt America in the 1980s was God-glorifying to have President Reagan had a prayer in support of a constitutional amendment that would allow voluntary prayer in public schools (‘Reagan’s Remarks On Prayer‘ – May 7, 1982, The NY Times ). As for the US “War on Drugs,” Mrs Nancy Reagan, the first lady, would ask the children, ‘Just to Say No To Drug.’ Critical thinking, although President Reagan was a Republican, it was him as a prayerful president, it would be an over gernalization or a fallacy to conclude that Republican as the political party is prayerful.
With all of my unforgettable, splendid First Time, happenings, I thought that I would always hold America dear to my heart, as long as I have ever lived. However, with the epidemic of Sino-Phobia sentiment in the minds of American people; when people, wouldn’t let go of their assumptions either on their conscious or unconscious level that they are more superior to any other ethnic race. And it seems rightful to hate or bully people for the colour of their skins. I have to say that for the First time, I have had my misgivings in America. In reflection, the following scripture comes to my mind, it is not about America, or anything at all, it is all about HIM.
Psalm 16:2 reads: “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'” (NIV)
I would leave you with Roberta Flack’s song, on her 2002 concert – ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/,’ that I would assume it as the Face of Jesus.
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face –
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless skies ..’
http://sweetsoundtrack.com/Movies/robert-flack-in-concert-2002
The Light Of Faith 