In the afternoon of June 24, Xu Ning asked me if I could say a few words about her mom at He Ning's memorial service to be held the next day morning. That night, I struggled very hard writing it because there were simply too many things but too little time to say about He Ning.
I took the early train from New Jersey to Washington DC the next day morning. When I got out of the Union Station, the weather was sunny and beautiful. The taxi driver was extra nice to me and got me to the church on time.
Inside, in front of the altar, He Ning's picture was surrounded by flowers - white peonies, chrysanthemums, lilies, roses, hydrangeas … Right away, I recognized the red vest. The picture was taken in a garden when He Ning travelled with us in Spain in 2007. She seemed to be looking at me, and then beyond me, with a mysterious smile, still so calm, so gentle, and so wise.
My speech was after the eulogy by He Ning’s son-in-law. With a very emotionally difficult start, I read on, slowly but clearly. I did not want people to miss a single word I had to say about He Ning.
How I wish I had more time …
I hope what I said and how I said it made He Ning proud.
To read my speech at the service, please click here.
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