Sweet Sorrow...

Last week, Kim Min Su asked me if I was sad to be leaving. I quoted the phrase, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." While explaining my meaning I realized that doing so gives me a greater appreciation of my own language. We throw words and phrases around with little thought. Rarely do we consider the deep meaning of some of the more descriptive parts of our language. I told them it is sweet because of the love I feel in my heart, but that same love makes the sorrow much much worse.

Sunday after worship I was in the office with Jae Suk and Pastor Shin and his family. Pastor Shin's 5 year old son Dong Yeon and I hit it off the moment I arrived in Korea. Within minutes we were playing hide and seek in the office while the staff looked on. The next time I saw him, he pointed at me, laughed and called out, "Grandpa!" I was told he knows 4 English words and learned them all from cartoons. So, that was my name as far as he was concerned. Later he learned about the three bears and I became "Papa Bear". He is of course, "Wee Bear".

His sister Ye Chin is said to look like famous Korean Figure Skater 김연아 (Yun-A Kim). So, any time I saw her I would point and say, "Oh, it's the famous Korean figure skater." She would grin, hide her face and run to her father's station. I don't give much thought to those small moments, but Sunday I was stunned. As we made plans for lunch, Pastor Shin's wife told me, "She wants to say something to you in English."

I knelt down to listen, but Ye Chin hid behind her mother. So, I pulled out my camera to take a picture with her brother. That did the trick. Ye Chin came out of hiding and had her picture taken, too. I stood up and faced her, and I could tell she was trying to muster the courage. I said, "Don't be shy." That's when my heart broke. She looked up at me...right in the eyes...and said, "I don't want you go America."

From that moment on she was a different girl. She ran to me in the parking garage as we arrived at the restaurant. She was around me at the buffet. And after she ate, she stood at my end of the table as I quizzed her on English words. All the while, little brother was climbing on my back and shoulders and head and...

As we left the restaurant, she took my hand, and we walked together. She looked up at me and said, "I'm not shy." I said, "I can see that." As we parted for the last time, she pulled me down to her and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Now tell me the truth...could you leave that?

Leave I must, but it is difficult. Kim Min Su came in this morning, looked at me and said, "Sorrow...sweet sorrow." I could not have said it better myself...



Dong Yeon (Wee Bear), Kim Min Su, Me & Yun-A (The Famous Korean Ice Skater)