IN MEMORY OF
FRED CECIL FELTHAM
1924 ~ 2008
THOUGHTS FROM THE TOP
Wander… but don’t forget your family
When I left Taiwan to return home to Canada, it was to spend as much time with my grandfather before he passed away. He lasted a year and a half.
On May 14, 2008, Fred Feltham, my second father, died of lung cancer. His condition became gradually worse during the past four years. When I moved to Taiwan in 2005, I wasn’t sure if he was going to last or not. While I was living in Taiwan, I received the painful emails from my parents regarding the close calls, but every time, he escaped death’s doorway. It took two years before I could muster up the courage to return and see the man I had idolized as a child slowly slip away.
As hard as it is to pack your bags and leave yourself naked without the comfort of close friends or familiar culture nearby, it doesn’t compare to losing a loved one. You leave a country with the comfort that you’ll see your family again, however, when you lose a loved one, you know you’ll never see them alive again.
You leave your home country to escape the world of the mundane to enrich your life with the greatest and most fulfilling experiences imaginable. You want to learn and grow in the world that God gave you—away from all the material things. But what you can sometimes forget are the people who love you back home as well.
Calling overseas can be difficult because you can’t always get through. Email is also a challenge because you don’t always have an internet connection handy. Other times–come on, admit your guilt–you become so soaked in your experiences abroad that you forget your loved ones missing you at home. Yes, I’m guilty, too.
Try to pick up the phone or to send an email at least once a week. Your family will appreciate it and you won’t miss home as much. When you live overseas, you truly learn the meaning of being homesick. When you lose a family member, you truly learn the meaning of loss. Appreciate your family like you appreciate travel because once they’re gone—they’re gone. I miss you grandpa—wherever you are. IT!
Phill Feltham
Publisher of TWW
Copyright © 2010 · Open Reel Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved ·
sorry to hear about your grandfather, phill.
i agree with you about making contact once a week. my family loved to hear all the stories that accompanied the pictures. it really does reduce the distance, doesn’t it?
tom (flowersonafriday)
Thanks for the condolences, Tom. You’re right. Constant contact narrows the gap, not to mention it takes the edge off of homesickness.
Phill