A grand-pa and a grand-son can be very good friends.

I will be a grand-pa in October. How exciting it is. It is appropriate for me to tell you about a story about my son, Victor, who had made good friend with my dad when my dad was in his 70-80s.

My dad visited us in New Jersey in 1983. My son, Victor was 6 years old at the time while my dad was in the 70s. In his 70s' my dad was energetic and was as healthy as a 50-years-old man. Since my wife and I were working during the day; my dad was 'babysitting my two kids, Victor who was 6 years old; and Leo, 3 years old.

I later had learned that grand-pa was teaching Taiwanese to two kids while he was learning English from Victor. My dad would learn how to write 'Barbara St' which was the street we lived in New Jersey at that time. The English word that my dad loved most was 'Grand-Pa'; because if you read this word quickly in English, it has a very funny meaning in Taiwanese. Every time, my dad say 'grand-pa', he chuckled. Victor had no idea why grand-pa was chuckling.

My dad lived with us for about 2 weeks. Before he left, he and my family including my two small helpers, Victor and Leo, to plant a tree slightly shorter than Victor who was 6 years old and was about 2 1/2 ft. tall.

Taiwan lifted off the martial law in 1987. I took my family to visit Taiwan in 1987. Before we went back to Taiwan, Meeilei took two kids to the mall and made a computer-made banner with two kids and a phrase 'We love grand-pa.' on the banner.

When we arrived my dad's place, Victor and Leo gave grand-pa the banner and gave grand-pa a big hug. My dad then took us to my mom's grave site to tell my mom that I was well and came back to pay our respect.

My dad was a chain smoker. At the time of our visit, he was smoking one cigarette after another. Victor did not like it. (We all did not like it at all.) Victor then said,

"Grand-pa, smoking is not good". Victor said that in Taiwanese.

"What did you say?" my dad pretended that he did not understand the question and asked Victor again in Taiwanese.

"Grand-pa, smoking is not good". Victor said again in Taiwanese.

" Hah; Let's go shopping." my dad quickly changed the subject.

We came back to the US after three weeks of visit in Taiwan in 1987. I had never thought that Victor's words would mean anything to my dad's smoking habit.

Well, I was wrong. I received a letter from my dad. The letter said that,

"I felt very embarrassed with my smoking habit and had my grand son to comment about my smoking habit....As a result, I now quit my smoking."

Yes, my dad did quit his smoking and he lived up to 94 years old.

My dad died in 1999. I went back to Taiwan for his funeral. My dad is a Buddhist. Surrounding his body and his coffin were Buddha's pictures and flowers. But besides those flowers and images, there was a banner hung above the wall. The banner was my two son's picture with a phrase, "Grand-pa, we love you." To my dad, his friendship with the grandsons is a treasure as valuable as Buddha.

I had a chance to visit New Jersey again in 2000. I went back to my old residence to see the tree we planted with my dad and Victor. The tree was almost 6 ft tall as tall as Victor in 2000, the year when Victor was 23 years old.