Qiutong Lu

Story of My Father

When my father was in primary school, all he wanted was to see a film at the new cinema in town. So, he worked hard over months, doing chores, and helping others, until he was overjoyed to see that he had collected enough money for a ticket to the cinema. The day finally arrived. My father carefully collected all his coins into a bag, and walked to the cinema, his mind full of what he could see on the big screen. By the time he arrived at the ticket counter, he discovered, to his dismay, that the bag holding the coins had a hole in it, and all the coins were gone! They must have dropped along the road, and he knew that they were lost. Forlorn and full of self-beratement, he walked back home. The next day, my father shared this unfortunate event with his teacher at school. The teacher shared that we are not to blame for many events that may share with us misfortune, and that as he experiences more good fortune in life, he will not be as depressed from this unlucky event. My father shares that this wisdom shared by his teacher did help, and that the money lost did mean less over time. He learned that many of us can experience unfortunate things, but we can overcome them.

“An illustration of my father’s loss of money when he was young. ”