The Last Day of Our Meeting

Today was the last day of meeting with one of my friends. He used to be an elementary school principal in Japan. After retiring, he came to the U.S. to support his daughter. It has been almost five years since he moved here. He told us, "It's time to leave because I want my daughter and my son-in-law to be independent." His daughter had gotten married with an American many years ago but before he moved to the U.S., she hadn't applied for a green card because she hadn't had the financial wherewithal to hire a lawyer for it. Because she hadn't had a green card, she had not been allowed to work here. Thus, she and her husband had been struggling to live with three children. She had often used her father's credit cards. My friend had thought they needed to be changed. After moving to the U.S., he supported her green card and sent her to medical school to get a license. At the same time, he took care of his three his grandchildren. After she got her license, she was able to find a job. He told us, "Maybe, she is having the most difficult time in her life. She is very busy with raising three kids and work, but they need to be independent. The longer we stay here, the more they will dependent on me and my wife. So it's time to leave. I am a little bit sad though." I think he is a great father, and he has been very supportive of his daughter! He told us he would move back to Japan this weekend, but he would come back to the U.S. next month in order to attend his former roommate's wedding, and he would also come back here in June to attend his choir recital. :)