Dear Reader, I will be offline for a few days while I make the trek from Seoul via Los Angeles and Denver to Kansas for my father’s funeral in Russell, hometown of former U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Bob Dole. If you happen to be in Russell this weekend, look me up. As you can imagine, things have been pretty tumultuous for the entire family since we heard the news of my father (not my "dad"–my stepdad). I’ll meet my sister in Denver tomorrow night, and we’ll rent a car and drive to Russell on Saturday. I’ll be around Kansas for about 15 hours before heading back to Korea. It is not only a heavy-hearted trip, but it won’t be a pleasant one being in transit for over half the time I’ll be away from Korea. I’m still in shock, and reality hasn’t really set in yet that’s my father is gone. My response has been business as usual, because I would rather keep my mind preoccupied on other things right now. To me, there’s not much I can do from thousands of miles away, so it doesn’t do me much good to dwell on his death. Koreans get pretty emotional about death, so I was very quiet about what happened while I was at work today. Word has slowly gotten out about my father from overheard conversations as I prepare to head to the states, and some coworkers have come over to console me. I would rather not think about it, actually, although I appreciate their warmness. Should I break down and crying? Am I too macho to cry? I don’t think so. No, it just isn’t the right time to come to grips with this. I’m sure I’ll bawl like a baby during the funeral.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. My family appreciates them.
