中文翻譯請見 「新岳父大人」

Father of the Bride

(A sentiment shared at my daughter, Justina, and Mike’s wedding, April 30, 2011)

First of all, I like to thank all the families and friends for coming to celebrate my daughter Justina and Mike’s big day, especially many of you have to take days off, and to travel a long distance to here. This really means a lot to us.

Second, I have to apologize that I have caught “Father of the Bride Syndrome” all of sudden, which makes my mind gone blank totally. Therefore, I have to read from my notes. Well, there is other reason I have to read, and you will know.

At home, we call Justina Dou-Dou, which in Chinese literally means “a little bean”. The story is that about 29 years ago, when my wife Jingling was pregnant with Justina, we happened to have bought a plant seed called “magic bean”. After we planted the seed on the patio, the bean soon germinated and started growing so fast. It was almost like you can stare at it for 5 minutes, and see it climbing several inches. The bean stalk was also so strong; it had survived bad storms and continued growing. So, that was our wishes that the baby, boy or girl, will grow fast and strong like the little magic bean.

Lo and behold, not before long, I regret my thought that I want my baby girl to grow fast. It was too fast indeed. By the time Dou-Dou was 16, I was ready to buy a shot gun and shoot any boy who came to my door. So, for many years, all my friends have always teased me. They just cannot wait to see how bad I would cry, one day when I will walk Justina down the red carpet isle. Hmm…hmm… Am I doing okay today? It is just my bad allergy to Chicago’s air if you saw my eye was red or with tears. 

Anyhow, in the past two years, Dou-Dou has always complained and said: “when I was in high school, you have always told me that I am not allowed to date, but now you keep on asking, when are you going to get married!”

Well, too fast or too slow, I have never gotten it right. Anyway, last year when the most smart, handsome, nice, and decent young man, Mike, asked my blessing to have Justina’s hand, I was so happy. I know that was God answering my prayers.

Later, Justina asked me to pick few photos of her childhood, so she can make a slide or something for her wedding. So, I took out the photo albums and started to scan the photos from the day she was born.  After a while, I know I have to stop, because I have worked on scanning the photos days and nights for three weeks, I scanned over ten-thousand photos, and, it was only up to Justina’s 10th birthday.

Then one day, my dear Dou-Dou sent me an email saying: “Dad, please transfer over my auto insurance payments as I am truly independent and becoming Mrs. Schlund.” Oh, I tell you, that really hit home. Well, I am not going to tell you if there is ever such a fool who would cry just because he does not have to pay a big, fat insurance bill every year any more. So, I took out Steve Martin’s old movie, “the Father of Bride”, and watched for the two-hundred-eighty times. 

That strange “Father of Bride” feeling never went away, until one day I received an email from Mike. You know, in Chinese culture, out of respect, we don’t call our elders by their name, not even call them Mr. or Ms. so and so. We would call them “uncle” or “auntie” so-and-so, even we may not be relatives or not related at all. So, Mike was nice enough to call me “Uncle Wang” in the email. I reply to him and said: “Mike, I need to correct you one thing... Hey, you should not call me ‘uncle wang’ any more. As Chinese culture, once engaged, you are part of the family, and should call me as baba as Justina calls me. ＂In Chinese, Baba means … baba. Okay?

Honestly, I hesitated for quite a while before I click on the “send” button of the email, because I am not sure how Mike, a pure blood American kid, would think about this. I did it anyway, and I was nervous waiting for his reaction. Very soon, Mike replied and said: “Sorry baba, won't happen again”.  At the end of his mail, he has signed as “Urds”, which is a new Chinese word he has just learned from a Chinese learning CD that I gave him as Christmas gift last year. Urds means “son”. At that moment, I was so happy, and all the  “Father of Bride” has become a most proud-and-happy Baba-in-law tears. I know Mike and Justina’s marriage is God’s most beautiful blessing to our family.

This year is the 30^th anniversary of my wife and me. So, to my beloved Mike and Dou-Dou, congratulations, and I am looking forward to celebrating your 30^th anniversary together with baba and mama’s 60 years anniversary.

God bless you! Baba and Mama love you! We all love you!