Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

The Mimosa Blooming in Love

My daughter is my only child. She was introverted and did not easily get acquanted with people whom she did not known. She was like a closed mimosa. When she was a first-grader in elementary school, she was even mistaken as a mute by her classmates.

Last summer, my daughter started her study in a junior high school. The school organized extracurriculum activities for the students, including screening and summer camp of the symphonic band. My daughter has been practicing the clarinet for nearly half a year on her own intention and has been doing well. So, my wife and I encouraged her to join the screening and summer camp of the band. After several talks and guidance, to my surprise, my dauaghter was unwilling to join because she tought she has already attended music classes after school and it was unnecessary to join another club at school. Besides, once drafted, she had to reserve time for group practices in her school every Saturday, which would deprive her of her spare time. Although we tried hard to persuade her, my wife and I recalling that Shifu told us to respect children’s ideas and choices, we decided not to force her. We thought maybe she was just afraid of facing the screening.

It soon came to almost the end of the two-month summer vacation. I thought the screening and summer camp had come to an end. A day before the school started, being unwilling to give up and just trying her luck, my wife called the teacher in charge of the band directly, telling the teacher the current learning status of my daughter. Unexpectedly, the teacher agreed to give my daughter a chance and asked daughter to bring her instrument to school for a screening.

Feeling that it was the chance of a lifetime, my wife and I told our daughter this good news that night. My daughter was pretty impatient about what we said at first. She even told us that she preferred joining the table tennis club because table tennis is one of her specialties. It was so difficult for us to reach the agreement and my wife and I did not intend to force her to do things she was unwilling to do. While I was about to give up persuading her, an idea suddenly came to my mind. I told her that the teacher just wanted to know her level of performing skills and that didn’t mean she was surely to be accepted. I also told her that she is good at all subjects except math, and she can gain extra points if she could join the symphonic band. This will be helpful when she applies for a senior high school. Perhaps our sincere communication and respectable attitude did soften her heart. Finally, she changed her mind and said "Alright ! I will give it a try tomorrow."

The next day, when my daughter arrived home, she happily told us that she was accepted. The teacher let her perform her skillful melody and another new melody. After that, the teacher said she could join the band because of her good skill. A shy girl like my daughter underwent the pressure and passed the screening had a great deal to do with her practicing qi gong in Tai Ji Men since she was a little child. At the Tai Ji Men Family, with the fellow brothers and sisters’ encouragement, she often has the opportunities to share her experiences in front of people. And because of her experiences of performing at Da An and Miaoli Academies and the sharing with guests, she became braver and more confident, hence she was able to pass the screening. Later after the school started, she participated in a contest with the band and they got the second prize in Taipei City. In addition, at her leisure time she and the club also engage in many events held out of town. Now, she always has great pleasure practicing.

My wife and I have practiced qi gong at Tai Ji Men Family for many years. Shifu’s lecture, love and care have deeply planted in our hearts, which we use naturally to educate our child. We guide her by encouragement and positive ways. Being a busy student, my daughter is still able to arrange her schedule well to practice clarinet and participate in many public events. Last year, we had a special music concert at Tai Ji Men on New Year’s Eve. My daughter performed clarinet for the guests and our fellow brothers and sisters. Although she performed only two songs, the sincere music festival had won all big applauses from the audiences. As her father, I felt so honored and proud of her. The mimosa in my eye has finally grown up and bloomed under the cherishment of love. My heart is filled with gratitude and joyfulness.