Dear Friends,
Thank you for all of your condolences , prayers, and sharing your reminiscences of Trí. Reading your stories warmed our hearts and it comforts us to know that Trí is loved and remembered by many. Thank you also for the thoughtful and generous wreath-- it was beautiful.
Thank you thày Chuong, Tung, Tai, Sơn, Erich, and Tuan, for being with us. Your presence gave us support and strength to say our goodbyes to Trí.
Trí was handsome, smart, quiet, kind-hearted, generous, forgiving, and our brother believed in "Luật Nhân Quả".
Of all the sisters and brothers, he is our favorite. Every October, he came back to the US for our Dad's Giỗ and our Mom's birthday for 3 weeks. The siblings, nieces, and nephews never missed a chance to see Cau Trí.
Of all the children, my Mom and Dad loved him the most. Every Saturday at 7:00am, Trí would call our Mom and tell her, "Má nhớ an cho nhiều , dầy đủ cho khỏe, con về chở Má di chơi. Con khỏe lam, di bơi mỗi ngày".
I told Tri we would go to VietNam, and every year, we missed that opportunity because of conflicted work schedules. I said that this year would be the year for Viet Nam, and Trí meticulously planned out an itinerary for us. Trí would take us từ Bắc xuống Nam, to all the historical chùa chiền that he loved, and introduce his two cats, Kittie and Blackie to us. I don't recall that Trí mentioned anything about hot bia om places in town. Our trip would be in November.
Trí and I shared a passion for traveling, but regrettably, our travel paths had never crossed. We did share our travel pictures and videos wherever we went in our siblings group texts. Last week, I shared a picture of my daughter and I in front of a glacier and waterfall. Immediately afterwards, Trí commented, "Nice picture, nature is the best". The next morning, Thursday, June 1, before venturing on the hiking trail, we stopped by a serene, iridescent lake and took a picture. When I was about to send the picture, I saw the text and received the heartbreaking news about what happened. I knelt down by the lake and I cried.
I shared with Trí this video with the title "Travel, Before It's Too Late" and never thought in 3 short years, I would share this with you with a new title, "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me":
https://vimeo.com/105113459 Yes, this year is the year that we would go to Vietnam. After 42 years, Chi Hòa, Mỹ and I are back in Saigon, not in November as planned, but in June, to bring Trí back home to San Jose, where his family is.
Rest In Peace, brother. We will always carry your gentle, sweet soul with us.
Hien