The Spring Equinox (Chinese: 春分), as the fourth term of the year starts on March 20 and ends on April 5 this year. The Spring Equinox signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, sun is directly above the equator.
From China daily 24 Solar Terms
This day has a special meaning for me, as my grandfather passed away on the morning of Spring Equinox in 2019. I still remember clearly what happened on that day. I was feeding my grandfather’s bird (huà-méi) in the garden, the bird’s brown eyes looked at me sadly, lost vitality and not to mention singing as usual.
It was been four months since grandpa was sent to ICU. Before that, he was suffering a lot with emphysema for many years, the difficulty of breathing limited his freedom physically. He is my hero, the most respected person in my life. We always have a lot to talk about, drinking his favorite green tea (Longjing) in the sunshine, listening to Peking Opera, writing calligraphy, and drawing ink painting. He is the best accompany in my childhood, I would like to together with him in the last stage of his life.
In the hospital of my hometown, ICU only opens to visit during 3:00-4:00 pm every day. And each time only allows one family member to enter wearing sterile clothing. Time is so precious, I held my grandpa’s hands full of tubes and leaned over to speak into his ears. Sometimes, I would wash my grandpa’s feet and legs with warm water. He is a strong man, every day he was fighting to get out of ICU. However, It was been a tough journey, he was exhausted all his energy after three times in and out of ICU. He gave up after the last try and decided to leave decently.
Grandpa left one box for me, including his calligraphy, ink painting books, and a pot rockery. Additionally, he left me one important life inspiration: “A refined room doesn’t lay claim to largeness, the fragrance of flowers doesn’t lie in their numbers.” The meaning of life is not pursuing fame and fortune endlessly, the true meaning is embracing real life and living on each ordinary day.
Noting is more important than family. I will keep grandpa’s spirit in mind, raising and supporting my small family, and pass it on to future generations.