By Fu Li-Chen
After graduating from high school in 1958, I married and began working. From then on, I was constantly occupied with family, children, and my career. Never could I have imagined that, after turning sixty, I would fulfill the greatest wish and dream of my life at the Elderly Community College founded by SunnyDay Adult Day Health Care in Los Angeles. The college was established for older adults and offered bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. I enrolled in the two-year bachelor’s program. Its subjects covered an extraordinary range, but I was most interested in Bible study, moral studies, and music.
Our moral-studies teacher, Chang Han-Chang, was ninety-six years old. Her mind was agile, her speech clear, and her lessons vivid and engaging. She brought every chapter and passage of the recorded teachings of the philanthropist and teacher Wang Fengyi to life. She told us, “The Way must be practiced, and virtue must be lived.” Her teaching rejected no religion and took love as its guiding purpose. She also taught us a forty-character maxim: win others through tolerance; enjoy health and longevity; be content and grateful; preserve true richness; show compassion without self-interest; share abundant joy; honor parents and siblings; build a happy family; cast away contention and greed; and seek harmony throughout the world. I learned not only to practice the Way, cultivate virtue, and live gratefully, but also to understand good and evil in human nature more deeply. I benefited greatly.
Pastor Lee Cheng-Chiu led our Christian Bible study. Though retired, he never retired from spreading the Gospel. He often taught Scripture even while ill and wove in testimony from his own journey of faith, helping us grow spiritually. His steadfast faith was plain to see: throughout his life he served as God’s faithful servant and good steward. Under Pastor Lee’s guidance during those two years, I came to know God more fully.
Wu Hang-Chien taught music. Young and energetic, with a beautiful singing voice and a lively teaching style, he had the bearing of a true musician. In Los Angeles he was affectionately known as “America’s Fei Yu-Ching.” I loved music, and under this fine teacher’s guidance I made great progress in pronunciation, vocal style, and technique.
In a busy life, I hardly noticed age approaching. Yet each year, when birthday cards arrived from the chairman, director, and all the staff, I realized that another year had passed. December 21, 2003, became the most unforgettable and exciting day of my life, for that was the day I went to the Overseas Chinese Culture Center to attend the first commencement of SunnyDay Elderly Community College. That morning I took special care with my appearance, and my husband drove with me to the ceremony.
At the commencement, the instant I received my degree certificate, I felt that my life had at last gained this most perfect record, and I could barely contain my excitement. The school had selected me to deliver the graduates’ response. When the two hosts called my name, time seemed to turn backward, returning me to my student days more than forty years earlier. Scenes of speech contests inside and outside school appeared before my eyes one by one. I finished my remarks amid waves of applause. Just as I was about to step down, the hosts cried, “Someone is calling for Mom!” I turned and saw my two beloved daughters, Nong-Yuan and Hui-Yuan, who had left work to congratulate me and brought a large bouquet. I was overjoyed. My husband, seated below the stage, photographed us and preserved one of the most precious moments of my life. Backstage, Academic Affairs Director Mandy Liu praised and affirmed me, and I could not help feeling a little lightheaded with happiness. Fortunately, I had fulfilled my responsibility.
SunnyDay’s great family is therefore a paradise for older adults, filled with happiness, joy, and love. I love SunnyDay, and I will never forget it.