How did it get so late so soon?
Its night before its afternoon.
December is here before June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?
– Dr. Suess
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from London
Klasik Sounds w/Night Fall
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TIME
written & edited by Kendall F. Person
Laos — a landlocked country of 6.5 million people in southeast Asia, still ripples from the effect of being a real live pawn in a series of wars that surrounded them, that had nothing to do with them, and that exploded between them. History has many names for the Laotian Civil War, The Secret War is one, but it was not a secret to the people living in the region, leaving their country in near complete devastation. And four decades after the fall of Vientiane, Laos remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a third of its population living under the international poverty line of just $1.25 per day.
The Indochina War would surround it, borders sealed by its neighbors – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China – fighting all around it. And with the Cold War reaching a feverish pitch, between the United States, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic; even France and the United Kingdom had rolled their marbles in – the people of Laos would never stand a chance. And with all that was happening around them, and in spite of them, loyalties inside would be divided, and in 1962, Laos would cry all-in, erupting into a disastrous civil war.
The fighting continued for nearly 15 years, thousands would be killed, and years later, hundreds of thousands would have to be relocated, as time proved no cure for the hatred that embedded in the land, as genocide became the new draw. In 1964, the wars would consume the country, and those that could, fled. Leaving their birthplace behind, in the hopes of achieving any semblance of a life. In the exodus, the family of six year old Xiong Nhia Yang would dodge bullets, the father doing all he could to carry his family to safety. But inside the battle zone, he was defenseless and his daughter would be struck by a bullet, leaving her wounded and unable to keep up.
With the needs of the many, outweighing the needs of the few, Xiong’s father would make a haunting decision, to abandon his daughter, Xiong’s sister, Sua for he could do nothing for her, having the rest of his family to think of. So six-year-old Xiong Nhia Yang and his parents ran for their lives, leaving his big sister behind. His father promised to go back for her, and by all accounts, he tried, but time was not on his side and the drums of war, would outlast him.
In December of 2013, an American Airlines flight would touch down at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Xiong Nhia Yang, a 56-year-old man by then, would stand in the central terminal, surrounded by family and a camera crew, as passengers bustled around them, oblivious to the fact, at that moment, time had stood still. He would recognize her instantly, at 70 years old, Sua looked exactly like their Mother, who had also passed. When brother and sister finally embraced, time overwhelmed them. Fifty years of emotion spilled forth, in the span of just a few seconds.
An extraordinary story, mercifully, the majority will never have to imagine. But how many family lapses are in place, even though they live just a few streets away? How many blood relationships have we abandoned, for an offense that is older than our generation? How long will we allow anger to stand between us, even with full knowledge, that time is not our friend? Inventions have allowed us to fly.
Advancements in plastic surgery, take years off our appearance. and a healthy lifestyle can be key to a long life. But no matter what we do or how hard we try, we will never defeat time or even slow it down. I imagine, there are some relationships beyond repair. Hence, destructive wars are not confined to countries. But while the breathtaking reunion of Xiang and Sua remain fresh in our minds, here lies a chance to take the offensive, besting father time. Pick up the phone, give it no further thought, call your estranged loved one, and simply say hi.
– Kendall F. Person, thepublicblogger
USA Today, Brother, sister united 50 years after war in Laos separates them
Wikipedia Laos, Laotian Civil War, Indochina Wars
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this is… The Neighborhood
this is... The Neighborhood 
This performance touches on both the inner and external conflicts we face and the difficult decisions that accompany them. A very touching account and surprisingly, the author decided that this particular performance deserved a happy ending for the separated siblings. 🙂
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Hello. So nice to have you add your voice. Thank you for being such an engaged part of The Neighborhood d. So good to know you enjoy today’s performance. (big smile)
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Intelligent and compassionate posts. Thank you!
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First, thanks for following me! Second, that’s a great post – I was expecting a philosophical post about time but the story about the laotian war surprised me and caught my attention. Well done.
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You are so very welcome and thank you. Welcome to The Neighborhood. Glad you are here.
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Thanks for following! I enjoyed reading this. Very true.
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My friend an excellent piece as always. Highlighting what really should be the obvious: keep those you love close, not just at heart but in reality as well. Nobody knows what is down the road, shouldn’t we enjoy what time we have?
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The text is excellent.
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Reblogged this on Prairie Pine Peddler and commented:
I feel as my life is going to fast, where has all the time gone….
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On the subject of war it’s disgusting what’s happening in Ukraine right now. As much as I disliked the Bush administration, the issue in Ukraine would have been already solved.
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Hi, Kendall. War is always terrible especially the ones that America has lost. But I noticed the ad for Back to Black. That’s my favorite song by Amy Winehouse. She was very talented.
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Thank you for adding your voice to this forum, and you are right about the ravages of war. >> Included in every post is a song(s) used as the soundtrack so to speak. Back to Black by the late Amy Winehouse serves the purpose for Time. Re-read it while listening so you will get the full effect.
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Thank you for sharing your wonderfully written thoughts! Indeed war, especially in families is often a secret and if we hold onto anger it destroys the potential for anything greater. I am so grateful to have read your post today, as it helps my heart to understand that while our emotions can be controlled, time cannot be controlled and our choices in all relationships either nurture our spirit or deprives us of growth. Thank you Kendall for you loving blogs!
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You are so very welcome. This was a very emotional piece to write and I am so very grateful it is well-received and beneficial. Thank you for adding your voice, so good to have you in The Neighborhood.
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I know the feeling!! I really really would LOVE one of those time turners from Harry Potter. I mean seriously, how useful would that be?! On another note- you write beautifully 🙂
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Oh, to be bring the magic of fairy tales to life. It does put a smile on one’s face.Thank you for such kind words and welcome to The Neighborhood.
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That poem is gut-wrenching. My grief cannot be fully felt because it’s so desensitizing seeing tragedy after tragedy, only when we experience it ourselves do we know their full weight. So important to be grateful while there are things to be grateful for.
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Paradoxes can be confusing, friend.
The son of Zeus, Hermes, was born before he was made the messenger of the gods. He stole time before he could do it, or something like that.
Wiki “Athena,” and see the geneology of the Greek gods. Its a diagram at the bottom of the page, just below the “classical art section.”
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Wow Kendall, this is powerful stuff. So many crimes against humanity and so little justice.
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skulzstudios – at times the inhumanity is difficult to comprehend. thank you, as always, for adding your voice. so glad you are here in The Neighborhood.
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Wow. Well written. Great story, super reminder.
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Very nice!
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So glad you enjoyed the show. And thank you, truthwillwin1 for letting me know. You are appreciated.
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This is wonderful – what you write. What we do is Disturbing. This is what we do, sadly. Do you mind if I reblog this?
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Hello Rajiv. Be my guest to use to reblog button and share within your community. The pleasure would be mine.
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Thanks! I have “joined” a community called Artists4Peace…. You will see their logo on my blog. Peace is what we need in the world..
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