thoughts

I didn’t set out in 2025 to accomplish anything in particular, and didn’t think of this year as important while I was living it.  I fell twice this year. Both times in front of Eric. The second time ended in the ER, my hand fractured, my body suddenly not as reliable as I had always Continue reading

My mother used to call me for no reason. Just to hear my voice. I let her calls go to voicemail. Everytime, she would leave messages saying, “Mạ gọi. Không có chi” in her heavy Huê accent. And I rarely returned her calls. I understand now. The calls were small doorways into her loneliness, her Continue reading

It has been 5 years now since Mom passed. I feel so hollow thinking about it. It’s almost like it was today. Like the line “Aujourd’hui, maman est morte” in Camus’ L’ Etranger. I thought of Mom a lot the night before. I thought of things I didn’t do with her and for her, things Continue reading

Every year, I hold memorials for my parents and my mother-in-law. It’s a way for me to honor their memories, for my children to remember them, and to establish a tradition for future generations. I prepare a dinner with the dishes they loved, bringing their presence into our home through the food they cherished and Continue reading

I attended a funeral today. Neal was 84 years old. He lost his wife last November; they had been together since they met at the age of 14, spending nearly their entire lives side by side. After her passing, it was as if the light in Neal’s life dimmed. Although it seemed he had lost Continue reading