MY DAD’S 70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

My dad turned 70 years old and in Korean tradition, the children throw their parents a big birthday party on either their 60th, 70th or the 80th. It used to be that the 60th birthday party was the norm, but since people’s life expectancy is longer, 70th birthday party is now just as common. And I am talking about big and fancy as in like a wedding! We rented out a nice reception place, rented tablecloths & floral centerpieces, got a private caterer to serve a delicious 10-dish Korean food, an MC, a program, the works!

My dad had a stroke on a late Christmas evening, after everyone was in bed. My mom woke up around 12:30 am(so on December 26th) to use the restroom and she usually goes right to bed but she decided to go check on my dad who was downstairs in the living room watching television. She found him unconscious and she screamed for help and my sister came downstairs. They tried to carry him so they could take him to the hospital but they couldn’t lift him up. My brothers and our male cousin was at a Star Wars movie so just as my sister was about to call 911 and have the ambulance come take our dad, my brothers and our cousin arrived after watching the movie. It was miraculous timing.

We were scared that his party, which was scheduled a week after Christmas, would maybe turn into a funeral instead. But he was released from the hospital the next day and even though he’s not the same as before the stroke(this is his second stroke), he is doing well. It’s really hard to see my parents age and seeing their health decline dramatically over the past several years. It’s also hard because I am the only child out of their 5 children to be living near them(my siblings are all over the place; California, Seattle, Afghanistan,  & New York), so I have more responsibility in watching over them and helping them while I am also taking care of my 3 young kids. They don’t drive now either which means more work for me but every time I start to notice myself get a little irritated or feel like they’re such high maintenance, I keep telling myself, “Well, they raised me and I was an inconvenience to them. The sacrifice they made for me is nothing compared to the sacrifice I am making for them right now. I will always be in debt to them, so this is the least I can do.” Then my attitude immediately changes and I gladly help them and only wish I could do more for them.

 

I also have daughter-guilt on top of the mom-guilt and dog-owner guilt(yes, they’re all real, guys!) because I’d like to visit them more and do more for them but then I have so much on my plate! But I try to go over as much as I can and I’ve been trying to simplify my life and putting them in my top priority. They are getting older and I want to spend as much time as I can and do as much as I can for them.

Anyway, the evening was beautiful and filled with so much love. They invited their closest friends and you could tell they all adored him, loved him and respected him so much. My dad is THE most spiritual, Christ-like person I know(besides my mom), and it seems everyone feels the same!

The food was amazing! There were over 10 dishes of gourmet Korean food.

We started the program with all of the children/grandchildren bowing, which is a Korean tradition. Then we had a talent show where my 2nd started it off with playing the ukulele. I wish the photographer took a photo of her playing but it was really short, she played two verses of Hot Cross Buns. It was adorable.

I sang a song guys. I picked “I’m gonna love you like I’m gonna lose you” which was a terrible idea I should have seen it coming, because I lost it as I was introducing the song and cried throughout the song! My voice cracked too because I was so emotional. Hahaha! So embarrassing! My sweet friends Michelle and Whitney accompanied me, thanks friends!

Then the granddaughters danced to Gangnam Style! My nephew was suppose to wear a suit, sunglasses and his hair sleeked back, just like the singer, but he fell asleep at the beginning of the event, I was SO bummed! It would have been the highlight of the evening for sure.

Then me and my siblings planned on going up to join the girls towards the end of the song, and then my parents surprised us and everyone else by joining us too! My dad is paralyzed on the left side of his upper body so you can imagine how cute he looked as he tried his best to dance the Gangnam Style. My dad is the cutest.

Then my dad gave a presentation of his life.  We told him to keep it to 20 mins. and if we had let him, he would have gone on for 3 hours so we had to cut him short. I still feel bad about that, I plan on having him go through the whole presentation(the whole 167 pages of slides) and recording it for us to keep.

Then we asked a few people to volunteer to come up and say a brief message they wanted to say to my dad.

Then my brother Jacob gave a beautiful toast.

Then we all sang him a happy birthday.

Beautiful images by Lizzy from Lizzyography. She was so great to work with, she made the night even more beautiful as she came up to me a multiple times and kept saying, “I’ve never been to a party like this before, I am just speechless”, “Wow, your family is just so amazing.”, “Wow, I thought I knew what spiritual was like, having served a mission and all, but your dad is like one of a kind. He is the most spiritual person I’ve ever met.” And then she tried to set my single brother up with her friend! Haha, how cute is she? I asked her if her friend was spiritual, which is one of the top things my brother looks for and she said, “Well, yeah she’s spiritual but after seeing your family? No one is spiritual compared to your family!” I just want her to know that she made the night such a special moment for us! Thank you Lizzy!

I love my family so much. I love you dad so so much. I look up to you so much and you are my hero, my inspiration, my confidant, my spirit-friend who gets me spiritually, someone I can talk about deep doctrine for hours, a good, kind, so so pure & innocent, spiritual-giant, intelligent, wise, so sweet and a hard working person. Happiest 70th birthday to you and I am not ready to let you go yet so you better live for a long time so that I can keep spoiling you!

Time is so precious and fleeting isn’t it? I do not take my moments with him for granted.