In Loving Memory Of A Great Friend

Last summer, I received an e-mail from Yu-Chieh stating that she had become ill with CLL (Cronic Lymphomic Leukemia). I was anxious to make the long distance telephone call to her to discuss the situation. During our conversation she told me that she has been undergoing Chemotherapy and that her situation was good. In the meantime, she was still going to church, having fun at Line Dance class and doing some volunteer work. Needless to say, when I received the email from her husband, I was devastated to learn about her recent passing.

Yu-Chieh  and I were classmates in junior high and high school. We went to the same College but enrolled in different majors.  Many middle school classmates got together and acted like strangers. However our friendship was totally different. When we were 13 or 14 years old, we would go to the store together to choose various types of handkerchiefs. When we were in high school we used to dressed ourselves in ballerina skirts and go to the movie theater to watch Hollywood blockbusters all the time. Yu-Chieh  came from a wealthy family and therefore her beautiful imported ballerina skirts was always better than any of ours.

Many years ago she wove a mohair scarf and sent it me. Since then, this is the only scarf that I use during the winter season.

A few years ago when I went on a trip to China, I stopped in a jade jewelry store and purchased some jade for both myself and for Yu-Chieh . Whenever I saw a Chinese television or movie series, or heard a Western or Chinese song that reminded me of her,  I would always purchase two copies and send one to Yu-Chieh  as there were many memories that we shared together.

Yu-Chieh  got married in Taiwan and then moved to the United States with her husband.  She also lived in Belgium for many years but finally resided in the state of Virginia.  Before e-mail came into existence,  our correspondence was through telephone and regular mail. Even though we lived in different countries and were miles apart, we were always able to send letters and photos to each other. To this date, I still have all the letters and photos that she has sent me over the years..

Today when I look at all these letters and photos that have now started to fade and turn yellow in color, I can still distinctly remember her soft voice, her tall slender appearance and a wonderful friendship . Yu-Chieh  will truly be missed as she was a great friend to me.