6 years ago today, I received a call from Malaysia. Jean, my brother’s wife, rang to say my father had passed away. It was a difficult time for me then, and the months following that were made even more difficult. Recently the convicted murderer of the prominent surgeon Victor Chang, was released and returned to Malaysia. He was able to be with his family again, after a very long time. He returned home in time to attend his daughter’s wedding.

That wedding must have been fraught with myriads of questions and issues. Above them all, I hope that family was able to cherish the mere fact of being together. Being together and connecting with each other must have been such a privilege. I wonder if that family was able to deal with all of the years of pain without sacrificing time spent together.

We all have regrets, of all kinds and of all magnitudes and severity. My one lingering regret is I never had the opportunity to spend more time with my father. Or maybe more accurately, I did not create or use the opportunities I had. There must be a lesson in that.