Tuesday, December 18, 2001
REMEMBERING HAYDEN ENG
I've been asked many times why I have lumped together three somewhat depressing "remembering ..." segments right around such a joyous time as Christmas. Well, it's has been about 4 years since Dennis passed, almost exactly 10 years since Uncle Stephen passed, and 3 years to the day that my uncle Hayden Eng (Allison and Jonathan's dad) passed. I know it may be sad for some, but my intention is to do just what the title says: remember them. I remember how they touched my life and how I've learned a little something from them. It's a celebration more than some sad, somber thing. And so with that, I introduce my last installment. This one is about my uncle.
He was from Chicago and always had a little accent in his voice. He said things like "schoo" without the "l" sound and his face always lit up when you talked about Chicago. It was his kind of town. He was a peace-loving man. Gentle. Loved to laugh. His favorite thing was to come over every weekend and tell jokes to me or hear mine. That's part of the reason why Allison and Jonathan love jokes too (including the Arrrr-beees one everyone loves so much!). =)
But what I thought was so cool about him was that he had his priorities straight. He was a lawyer. And as everybody knows, that's no small feat. But he left that life, and all the fortune that profession would surely bring in, to sell insurance. Why? Because he wasn't happy with that job and it would hinder his family life. He was willing to sacrifice it all to take his family to see a baseball game, to tell them a good joke, or just to be less stressed when he got home. He made sure he loved life and he did. He was comitted to his church - CEFC's sister church in Walnut. He painted, taught, and was a visible presence to both the pastoral staff and laymen alike. Uncle Hayden had a genuine concern for all and he wasn't afraid to take time out of his life to show it. I wish I was more like him. Maybe that's why I'm so committed to helping to make sure Allison and Jonathan grow up right. I feel like I owe it to Uncle Hayden since he indirectly helped me grow up into the man I am today.
So, what connects these three extraordinary men together? None of them were Nobel peace prize winners, gained world-wide notoriety, or were millionaires. It's more the little things that they did - loving God and loving people. And ultimately, isn't that what it's all about?
I've been asked many times why I have lumped together three somewhat depressing "remembering ..." segments right around such a joyous time as Christmas. Well, it's has been about 4 years since Dennis passed, almost exactly 10 years since Uncle Stephen passed, and 3 years to the day that my uncle Hayden Eng (Allison and Jonathan's dad) passed. I know it may be sad for some, but my intention is to do just what the title says: remember them. I remember how they touched my life and how I've learned a little something from them. It's a celebration more than some sad, somber thing. And so with that, I introduce my last installment. This one is about my uncle.
He was from Chicago and always had a little accent in his voice. He said things like "schoo" without the "l" sound and his face always lit up when you talked about Chicago. It was his kind of town. He was a peace-loving man. Gentle. Loved to laugh. His favorite thing was to come over every weekend and tell jokes to me or hear mine. That's part of the reason why Allison and Jonathan love jokes too (including the Arrrr-beees one everyone loves so much!). =)
But what I thought was so cool about him was that he had his priorities straight. He was a lawyer. And as everybody knows, that's no small feat. But he left that life, and all the fortune that profession would surely bring in, to sell insurance. Why? Because he wasn't happy with that job and it would hinder his family life. He was willing to sacrifice it all to take his family to see a baseball game, to tell them a good joke, or just to be less stressed when he got home. He made sure he loved life and he did. He was comitted to his church - CEFC's sister church in Walnut. He painted, taught, and was a visible presence to both the pastoral staff and laymen alike. Uncle Hayden had a genuine concern for all and he wasn't afraid to take time out of his life to show it. I wish I was more like him. Maybe that's why I'm so committed to helping to make sure Allison and Jonathan grow up right. I feel like I owe it to Uncle Hayden since he indirectly helped me grow up into the man I am today.
So, what connects these three extraordinary men together? None of them were Nobel peace prize winners, gained world-wide notoriety, or were millionaires. It's more the little things that they did - loving God and loving people. And ultimately, isn't that what it's all about?
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