My mom and dad never met any of our three sons, Troy, Raymond, or
Ryan. I am really not complaining, it is just the cards we were dealt.
When your cup is overflowing in blessings, I don't think you should
keep asking for more. I do have a private wish that they could have met
each other even if it was just for a moment. I think my mom and dad
would have been amazed at our sons, temperament, smiles, and how
beautiful half Chinese and half Irish, "pound puppies" can really be.  |
| Grandpa "Dick" Shay 1932 |
I still remember about fifteen years ago a toast at our wedding rehearsal dinner in Denville, New Jersey. My mom had passed a few months earlier, but my father and several of my six siblings were in attendance.
I believe it was
Theresa's oldest brother, Billy who stood up, raised his glass and lit
up the room with a mischievous smile as he started a toast that went
something like, "Here's to the Irish and Chinese! We worked together so
many years ago on the railroad, may our new union between the Shay and
Mok families bring us all lifelong happiness." We all burst out in
laughter as we clanked our glasses and I sipped on another ice cold,
Tsing Tao beer. It was a great evening.
I think all of us on this small planet are interconnected in some way, regardless of our country, age, or ethnicity. A shared human experience which brings me to the shark tooth. Our middle son, Raymond has a left upper incisor which comes to a unique point. He came up with his own description of the abnormality by saying it was his, "shark tooth". We offered to have it cosmetically corrected several times, but he has always declined by saying, "I like my shark tooth."
I think all of us on this small planet are interconnected in some way, regardless of our country, age, or ethnicity. A shared human experience which brings me to the shark tooth. Our middle son, Raymond has a left upper incisor which comes to a unique point. He came up with his own description of the abnormality by saying it was his, "shark tooth". We offered to have it cosmetically corrected several times, but he has always declined by saying, "I like my shark tooth."
 |
| Raymond Shay 2004 |
Raymond's attitude about life is so similar to my father it is freaky. If you look at the their two photographs, each of them as young children; you can see a striking resemblance despite them being two generations apart and significantly genetically different. I thought the strange likeness would pass as Raymond got older. I was yet again proven wrong. I am glad I am better at real estate then I am at understanding or predicting upcoming curves in our lives.
Recently, our family was
at Sea World and I sent a photograph of Raymond via text to my brother,
John. The following day, John took the below picture of my dad and
superimposed the flight goggles over Raymond's head. When I received
the pictures of Raymond and my dad side by side, I was stunned. I found
myself repeatedly looking at the picture, wondering if my dad had any
Asian ancestors we did not know about.
When I picked up Raymond from Oak Valley Middle School, I immediately passed him my I-Phone so he could look at the picture of him and his grandfather. Raymond laughed briefly and said, "hey dad, your dad had a shark tooth too." "Hey pass me that phone," I hollered to Raymond as I pulled to the curb. I then saw it. My dad's upper left incisor is slightly skinny and similar to his grandson.
As I pulled back on the road, I glanced at Raymond as he sat next to me and I saw the tip of his shark tooth on the left side of his smiling face. It was like looking at my dad. Yeah, Raymond never got to meet my father, but he is still a big part of him.
I suspect one day, Raymond will ask for his shark tooth to be corrected. When the dentist applies the fill and smooths out the pointed tooth it will no longer be visible but it will still remain underneath, like the DNA building blocks that are passed down from his ancestors. The fabric of life that helps shape the way Raymond thinks and grows as he experiences the challenges of his own life.
Though hidden, my dad and mom as well as Theresa's mother and father are all still alive deep within Raymond and all of our children and future grandchildren. Someday in the future those children will be working together on their new collective railroad that makes the transcontinental railroad look like child's play.
I suspect there will be a
crystal clear and unfathomably cold night in deep outer space as our
ancestors ride on an interstellar transport vehicle approaching a
strange, dark planet. The first mate will turn to the Captain of the
ship and advise the ship and crew they will soon be exposed to the
brilliance and significant harsh radiation of the sun breaking over the
galactic horizon. The space ships safety radiation glass will sense the
increase in radiation and will automatically adjust its molecular
structure within a few nano seconds.
As
the first mate stands to the left of the Commanding Officer looking out
at the galaxy, he may ponder briefly that he cannot honestly identify
if the Captain is of African, Indian, Asian, Arab, or even American
descent. The importance of someone's heritage had thankfully long
since faded from our social consciousness as our human race advanced
from generation to generation. The first mate may, just may, notice
that the Captain of the ship has a slightly narrow tooth on the upper
left side of her smile as the sunlight bursts across the bow of the ship
and illuminates the bridge and the beautiful planet below. Now that
would be an amazing sunrise.
Have a great week,
Ray & Theresa Shay
Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved. No duplication of this material without written consent of Shay Realtors.
