My friends say my dad is a jolly man. They tell me that I got my big smile and joyful nature from him, and I couldn't agree more.
One night, at a dinner that my parents hosted, someone asked him, "Mr. Lam, how do you stay so happy?"
By the time he finished sharing his answer, there was not a single dry eye in the room.
He told us that he spent most of his childhood living with other families because his parents separated when he was four years old.
With each house that he stayed at, he admired what it was like to have a family—children and parents eating together, living happily.
He vowed to have a family of his own one day.
He's so happy because he has already fulfilled his life purpose, and he gets to live it every day. He now has a healthy, happy family of his own.
He provided for his mother until she passed away and supported my mom and me, which brings him all the fulfillment that he needs. His only goal now is to take care of himself so that he can maintain it all.
He added that he knows that many people nowadays have big goals: success, wealth, fame. He doesn't have those goals because they don't bring him fulfillment.
He says that when I have kids, he wants to help take care of the next generation.
My dad taught me a huge lesson that day.
He reminded me that the deepest fulfillment in life comes from serving the people around me. That is what matters in the end. He is living proof.
