Far from the Farm

Lee blew into town. I hadn’t seen him for years. We met at business school, and he’s always been on the move, from Hawaii to Germany, San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Colorado, Hong Kong and Boston (these are places he’s lived, not just visited).

Lee became a stockbroker for Wall Street firms and achieved success soon after graduation. But he felt drawn to another path and entered seminary in Texas. With three small mouths to feed, that move exhibited a leap of faith, a faith that I have never come close to matching.

Lee’s network of friends and followers has continued to grow, and his energy shows no signs of flagging. His Bay Area visit was only for a couple of days. He invited a couple of wizened fellow alumni, businessmen and students from China to dinner in Foster City, where we reminisced about days long gone. He talked about the foundation he established to minister to the Asian-American community, the struggle of looking after an adult autistic son, and his loyal, brilliant, and remarkably patient wife who has supported him through every move and unconventional idea.

One of the alumni remarked that while half of our classmates are retired we are still searching for what to do with the rest of our lives. Lee found his calling decades ago. © 2006 Stephen Yuen