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H\u00f4m th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ngh\u1ec9 l\u00e0m, c\u00f9ng ch\u00fang t\u00f4i \u0111i ra ngo\u00e0i \u0103n t\u1ed1i. Trong b\u1eefa \u0103n, th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ng\u1ecf l\u1eddi:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u00cdt h\u00f4m n\u1eefa l\u00e0 sinh nh\u1eadt c\u1ee7a con, con kh\u00f4ng mu\u1ed1n qu\u00e0 c\u00e1p, c\u0169ng kh\u00f4ng mu\u1ed1n \u0111i \u0103n ti\u1ec7m nh\u01b0 m\u1ecdi l\u1ea7n m\u00e0 con ch\u1ec9 mu\u1ed1n \u0111i l\u00e0m thi\u1ec7n nguy\u1ec7n.\u201d
\n\u201cL\u00e0m g\u00ec, \u1edf \u0111\u00e2u con?\u201d M\u1eb9 n\u00f3 h\u1ecfi.
\n\u201cCon mu\u1ed1n t\u1edbi Keagan, Houston Food Bank \u1edf \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng I.10, gi\u00fap \u0111\u00f3ng h\u1ed9p ph\u1ea7n \u0103n cho con n\u00edt ngh\u00e8o. Con n\u00edt nh\u00e0 ngh\u00e8o \u0111i h\u1ecdc tr\u01b0\u1eddng cho \u0103n mi\u1ec5n ph\u00ed; t\u1edbi m\u00f9a h\u00e8 kh\u00f4ng \u0111i h\u1ecdc n\u00ean \u0111\u00f3i. Ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta t\u1ed5 ch\u1ee9c ph\u00e1t ph\u1ea7n \u0103n cho nh\u1eefng \u0111\u1ee9a tr\u1ebb n\u00e0y.\u201d
\n\u201cBa c\u00f3 nghe n\u00f3i.\u201d
\n\u201cBa mu\u1ed1n \u0111i v\u1edbi con kh\u00f4ng?\u201d
\n\u201c\u1eea! Ba \u0111i v\u1edbi con.\u201d<\/p>\n
L\u00f2ng t\u00f4i ch\u1ee3t h\u00e2n hoan. L\u00e2u l\u1eafm r\u1ed3i kh\u00f4ng c\u00f9ng v\u1edbi th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh l\u00e0m m\u1ed9t vi\u1ec7c g\u00ec c\u00f4ng \u00edch.<\/p>\n
Tr\u01b0\u1edbc ng\u00e0y sinh nh\u1eadt m\u1ed9t h\u00f4m, th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh nh\u1eafc l\u1ea1i t\u00f4i ghi danh v\u1edbi Keagan. T\u00f4i nh\u1edd n\u00f3 gi\u00fap t\u00f4i ghi danh cho l\u1eb9. N\u00f3 n\u00f3i \u201cBa t\u1ef1 tay ghi danh \u0111\u1ec3 bi\u1ebft m\u00ecnh mu\u1ed1n l\u00e0m vi\u1ec7c g\u00ec, \u1edf khu n\u00e0o.\u201d T\u00f4i n\u00f3i, \u201ccon l\u00e0m ch\u1ed7 n\u00e0o Ba l\u00e0m ch\u1ed7 \u0111\u00f3, con ghi gi\u00f9m Ba lu\u00f4n.\u201d N\u00f3 ghi danh xong, d\u1eb7n t\u00f4i, \u201cm\u00ecnh l\u00e0m ch\u1ed7 \u0111\u00f3ng h\u1ed9p th\u1ee9c \u0103n, ph\u1ea3i mang gi\u00e0y k\u00edn ch\u00e2n, m\u1eb7c \u00e1o tay d\u00e0i, r\u00e2u t\u00f3c s\u1ea1ch s\u1ebd; ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta s\u1ebd c\u1ea5p cho \u00e1o y\u1ebfm v\u00e0 l\u01b0\u1edbi bao t\u00f3c, r\u00e2u; c\u00f3 m\u1eb7t t\u1ea1i kho h\u00e0ng \u0111\u00fang 6 gi\u1edd s\u00e1ng.\u201d<\/p>\n
S\u00e1ng qua, ch\u00fang t\u00f4i th\u1ee9c d\u1eady 4g45 s\u00e1ng v\u00ec c\u1ea7n \u0111i l\u00fac 5 gi\u1edd. T\u1eeb nh\u00e0 t\u00f4i ch\u1ea1y t\u1edbi \u0111\u00f3 h\u1ebft 45 ph\u00fat v\u00ec kh\u00f4ng bi\u1ebft xe c\u1ed9, \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng s\u00e1 c\u00f3 v\u1ea5n \u0111\u1ec1 g\u00ec kh\u00f4ng. \u0110\u00e2u \u0111\u00f3 trong th\u00e2m t\u00e2m t\u00f4i c\u00f3 than phi\u1ec1n \u201c\u0111i l\u00e0m thi\u1ec7n nguy\u1ec7n m\u00e0 c\u1ef1c kh\u1ed5 qu\u00e1!\u201d T\u00f4i \u0111\u00e3 ngh\u1ec9 h\u01b0u t\u1eeb l\u00e2u, ch\u1ec9 c\u00f2n ph\u1ea3i \u0111i\u1ec1u h\u00e0nh tr\u01b0\u1eddng d\u1ea1y v\u00f5 bu\u1ed5i chi\u1ec1u n\u00ean th\u01b0\u1eddng ng\u00e0y ng\u1ee7 t\u1edbi 8g s\u00e1ng m\u1edbi d\u1eady; v\u00ec th\u1ebf, th\u1ee9c gi\u1ea5c gi\u1edd \u0111\u00f3 kh\u00f4ng ph\u1ea3i chuy\u1ec7n d\u1ec5 l\u00e0m. T\u00f4i \u0111\u00e3 \u0111\u1ec3 \u0111\u1ed3ng h\u1ed3 b\u00e1o th\u1ee9c, nh\u01b0ng \u0111\u1ed3ng h\u1ed3 ch\u01b0a k\u1ecbp reo th\u00ec nh\u00e0 t\u00f4i \u0111\u00e3 lay t\u00f4i d\u1eady, \u201canh \u00e0, d\u1eady \u0111i k\u1ebbo tr\u1ec5 gi\u1edd.\u201d T\u00f4i gi\u1eadt m\u00ecnh r\u1eddi ch\u0103n \u00eam n\u1ec7m \u1ea5m, hai m\u1eaft r\u00e1o ho\u00e3nh, l\u00f2ng vui v\u1ebb l\u00e0m v\u1ec7 sinh c\u00e1 nh\u00e2n, g\u1ecdi th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ng\u1ee7 tr\u00ean l\u1ea7u. Th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh \u0111\u00e3 s\u1eb5n s\u00e0ng \u0111i.<\/p>\n
Ch\u00fang t\u00f4i t\u1edbi Food Bank l\u00fac 5g45 s\u00e1ng. T\u01b0\u1edfng m\u00ecnh t\u1edbi s\u1edbm nh\u01b0ng khi b\u01b0\u1edbc v\u00e0o kho \u0111\u00e3 th\u1ea5y kh\u00e1 \u0111\u00f4ng ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta \u0111ang l\u00e0m vi\u1ec7c. ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/fullsizeoutput_1cb8-300x174.jpeg\")
Nh\u00ecn c\u00e2u vi\u1ebft r\u1ea5t l\u1edbn tr\u00ean t\u01b0\u1eddng l\u00e0m t\u00f4i x\u00fac \u0111\u1ed9ng, \u201cbecause of you, a child will eat today\u201d (v\u00ec nh\u1eefng ng\u01b0\u1eddi nh\u01b0 b\u1ea1n, m\u1ed9t \u0111\u1ee9a tr\u1ebb s\u1ebd \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c \u0103n h\u00f4m nay). C\u1ea1nh b\u00ean l\u00e0 ch\u1eef C\u00e1m \u01a0n\u201d c\u0169ng kh\u00e1 l\u1edbn. Ch\u1ee3t li\u00ean t\u01b0\u1edfng \u0111\u1ebfn Vi\u1ec7t Nam, \u0111\u1ebfn nh\u1eefng tr\u1ebb em thi\u1ebfu \u0103n, thi\u1ebfu m\u1eb7c, kh\u00f4ng \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c h\u1ecdc h\u00e0nh… h\u00ecnh dung nh\u1eefng em b\u00e9 t\u1ea3 t\u01a1i \u1edf c\u00e1c b\u00e3i r\u00e1c, tr\u01b0\u1edbc nh\u1eefng qu\u00e1n \u0103n; c\u00e1c em b\u00e9 b\u00e1n v\u00e9 s\u1ed1, \u0111\u00e1nh gi\u00e0y d\u1ea7m m\u01b0a d\u1ea3i n\u1eafng… kh\u1eafp m\u1ecdi mi\u1ec1n \u0111\u1ea5t n\u01b0\u1edbc! N\u01b0\u1edbc M\u1ef9 gi\u00e0u c\u00f3 m\u00e0 v\u1eabn l\u1eafm ng\u01b0\u1eddi ngh\u00e8o d\u00f9 c\u00f3 bi\u1ebft bao nhi\u00eau ch\u01b0\u01a1ng tr\u00ecnh tr\u1ee3 gi\u00fap t\u1eeb ch\u00ednh quy\u1ec1n, t\u1eeb c\u00e1c c\u01a1 quan thi\u1ec7n nguy\u1ec7n… nh\u01b0ng th\u1eadt s\u1ef1 h\u1ecd \u0111\u00e2u c\u00f3 ngh\u00e8o b\u1eb1ng s\u1ed1 \u0111\u00f4ng d\u00e2n t\u1ed9c c\u1ee7a t\u00f4i hi\u1ec7n gi\u1edd; ch\u1eafc ch\u1eafn kh\u00f4ng th\u1ec3 c\u00f3 nh\u1eefng em b\u00e9 c\u00f9ng kh\u1ed5 nh\u01b0 \u1edf qu\u00ea t\u00f4i; v\u1eady m\u00e0 nh\u00e0 n\u01b0\u1edbc Vi\u1ec7t Nam kh\u00f4ng h\u1ec1 ngh\u1ec9 t\u1edbi m\u00e0 c\u00f2n t\u1eadn s\u1ee9c b\u00f3c l\u1ed9t, c\u01b0\u1edbp gi\u1ef1t c\u1ee7a d\u00e2n ngh\u00e8o; h\u1ecd c\u00f2n b\u1ecf ra t\u1ef7 n\u00e0y t\u1ef7 n\u1ecd \u0111\u1ec3 x\u00e2y d\u1ef1ng nh\u1eefng c\u00f4ng tr\u00ecnh v\u00f4 b\u1ed5, nh\u1eefng t\u01b0\u1ee3ng \u0111\u00e0i v\u00f4 ngh\u0129a m\u00e0 ai c\u0169ng bi\u1ebft \u0111\u00f3 l\u00e0 nh\u1eefng c\u00f4ng tr\u00ecnh b\u00e0y \u0111\u1eb7t ra \u0111\u1ec3 \u0103n chia v\u1edbi nhau, \u0111\u1ec3 ti\u1ebfp t\u1ee5c th\u00e2u t\u00f3m ti\u1ec1n b\u1ea1c \u0111\u1ec3 ti\u00eau x\u00e0i phung ph\u00ed, \u0111\u1ec3 g\u1eedi con \u0111i h\u1ecdc n\u01b0\u1edbc ngo\u00e0i, \u0111\u1ec3 mua xe t\u1eadu nh\u00e0 \u1edf ngo\u1ea1i qu\u1ed1c… T\u00f4i c\u1ed1 c\u1ea7m l\u00f2ng \u0111\u1ec3 kh\u00f4ng r\u01a1i n\u01b0\u1edbc m\u1eaft.<\/p>\n
Ch\u00fang t\u00f4i \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c h\u01b0\u1edbng d\u1eabn r\u1eeda tay th\u1eadt k\u1ef9, xong h\u1ecd ph\u00e1t cho \u00e1o y\u1ebfm v\u00e0 l\u01b0\u1edbi tr\u00f9m t\u00f3c, ch\u1ec9 cho ch\u00fang t\u00f4i ch\u1ed7 \u0111\u1ee9ng trong d\u00e2y chuy\u1ec1n \u0111\u00f3ng g\u00f3i. C\u0169ng may, d\u00e2y chuy\u1ec1n thi\u1ebfu hai ch\u1ed7 li\u1ec1n nhau. T\u00f4i ph\u1ee5 tr\u00e1ch ph\u1ea7n c\u00e0 r\u1ed1t, th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ph\u1ee5 ph\u1ea7n d\u01b0a h\u1ea5u v\u00e0 chuy\u1ec3n sang m\u00e1y \u0111\u00f3ng h\u1ed9p.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_1909-300x225.jpg\")
C\u00f3 nhi\u1ec1u d\u00e2y chuy\u1ec1n l\u00e0m vi\u1ec7c gi\u1ed1ng nhau t\u1eeb s\u1ed1 1 \u0111\u1ebfn s\u1ed1 6. M\u1ed7i d\u00e2y chy\u1ec1n g\u1ed3m 7 v\u1ecb tr\u00ed: ng\u01b0\u1eddi m\u1edf b\u1ecdc ny l\u00f4ng (m\u1ed7i b\u1ecdc ch\u1ee9a 10 c\u00e1i) g\u00f3i b\u00e1nh b\u1ed9t m\u1ecfng c\u1ee7a ng\u01b0\u1eddi M\u1ec5; ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111\u1eb7t b\u00e1nh v\u00e0o ng\u0103n l\u1edbn c\u1ee7a khay nh\u1ef1a nh\u1ecf m\u00e0u \u0111en, h\u00ecnh ch\u1eef nh\u1eadt, c\u00f3 3 ng\u0103n; ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111\u1eb7t 2 mi\u1ebfng ham & cheese tr\u00f2n d\u00e0i cu\u1ed1n s\u1eb5n v\u00e0 rau c\u1ea3i l\u00ean b\u00e1nh; phi\u00ean t\u00f4i cho m\u1ed9t mu\u1ed7ng l\u1edbn c\u00e0 r\u1ed1t lo\u1ea1i nh\u1ecf, \u0111\u00e3 g\u1ecdt s\u1eb5n v\u00e0o m\u1ed9t ng\u0103n, xong chuy\u1ec3n qua cho th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh l\u00e0m \u0111\u1ea7y ng\u0103n c\u00f2n l\u1ea1i v\u1edbi mu\u1ed7ng l\u1edbn d\u01b0a h\u1ea5u c\u1eaft vu\u00f4ng nh\u1ecf; chuy\u1ec3n qua cho ng\u01b0\u1eddi ki\u1ec3m so\u00e1t tr\u01b0\u1edbc khi \u0111\u01b0a qua m\u00e1y \u0111\u00f3ng h\u1ed9p; v\u00e0 cu\u1ed1i c\u00f9ng l\u00e0 ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111i\u1ec1u h\u00e0nh m\u00e1y \u0111\u00f3ng v\u00e0 s\u1eafp v\u00e0o th\u00f9ng l\u1edbn. Khi th\u00f9ng l\u1edbn \u0111\u1ea7y, h\u1ecd s\u1ebd g\u1ecdi ng\u01b0\u1eddi t\u1edbi mang \u0111i v\u00e0o kho v\u1eadn chuy\u1ec3n.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/fullsizeoutput_1cba-300x149.jpeg\")
Ti\u1ebfng nh\u1ea1c rap (gi\u1eadt) m\u1edf l\u1edbn, \u00e1t c\u1ea3 ti\u1ebfng m\u00e1y, nh\u01b0 th\u00f4i th\u00fac m\u1ecdi ng\u01b0\u1eddi c\u00f9ng quay cu\u1ed3ng v\u1edbi c\u00f4ng vi\u1ec7c. Ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta th\u01b0\u1eddng n\u00f3i \u201cl\u00e0m nh\u01b0 m\u00e1y\u201d b\u00e2y gi\u1edd m\u1edbi th\u1ea5y ngh\u0129a l\u00fd c\u1ee7a n\u00f3. L\u00e2u l\u00e2u l\u1ea1i c\u00f3 ng\u01b0\u1eddi la to \u201cb\u00e1nh b\u1ed9t \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng s\u1ed1 5; ho\u1eb7c rau c\u1ea3i s\u1ed1 4; th\u1ecbt s\u1ed1 2…\u201d \u0111\u1ebfn l\u00fac h\u1ebft c\u00e0 r\u1ed1t t\u00f4i c\u0169ng g\u1ecdi, \u201cc\u00e0 r\u1ed1t s\u1ed1 4\u201d; th\u1ebf l\u00e0 c\u00f3 m\u1ed9t nh\u00e2n vi\u00ean c\u1ee7a kho mang t\u1edbi li\u1ec1n. C\u00f4ng vi\u1ec7c b\u1ed5 sung cung c\u1ea5p c\u00e1c lo\u1ea1i v\u1eadt th\u1ef1c n\u00e0y c\u0169ng c\u00f3 th\u1ec3 l\u00e0 ng\u01b0\u1eddi t\u00ecnh nguy\u1ec7n nh\u01b0 ch\u00fang t\u00f4i. H\u1ecd c\u0169ng l\u00e0m li\u1ec1n tay, cung c\u1ea5p b\u1ea5t c\u1ee9 m\u00f3n n\u00e0o thi\u1ebfu \u1edf b\u1ea5t c\u1ee9 khu v\u1ef1c n\u00e0o. T\u00f4i b\u1ed7ng n\u1ed5i m\u00e1u t\u1ebfu g\u1ecdi to, \u201cbeef steak line 4\u201d, m\u1ecdi ng\u01b0\u1eddi b\u1eadt c\u01b0\u1eddi to. M\u1ed9t l\u00fac l\u00e2u sau t\u00f4i l\u1ea1i g\u1ecdi, \u201ccognac line 4\u201d, thi\u00ean h\u1ea1 l\u1ea1i c\u01b0\u1eddi… l\u00e0m qu\u00ean \u0111i m\u1ec7t nh\u1ecdc.<\/p>\n
T\u1eeb l\u00fac \u0111\u1ebfn cho t\u1edbi l\u00fac ra v\u1ec1 (c\u00f3 ngh\u1ec9 tay 15 ph\u00fat l\u00fac 8g), ch\u00fang t\u00f4i m\u00faa nh\u01b0 m\u00e1y. Ngo\u00e0i vi\u1ec7c b\u1ecf c\u00e0 r\u1ed1t, t\u00f4i c\u00f2n nhanh tay ph\u1ee5 ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111\u1ee9ng b\u00ean c\u1ea1nh g\u1edf nh\u1eefng cu\u1ed1n th\u1ecbt d\u00ednh ch\u00f9m, nh\u01b0ng \u0111\u00f4i khi c\u0169ng qu\u00fdnh qu\u00e1n cho k\u1ecbp v\u1edbi m\u00e1y; kh\u00f4ng ai c\u00f3 th\u00ec gi\u1edd \u0111\u1ec3 n\u00f3i chuy\u1ec7n ri\u00eang.
\nXong bu\u1ed5i s\u00e1ng, ch\u00fang t\u00f4i ra v\u1ec1, ch\u00e2n tay m\u1ecfi nh\u1eeb, nh\u01b0ng l\u00f2ng ho\u00e0n to\u00e0n vui v\u1ebb, ch\u1ec9 nh\u1eefng khi ngh\u0129 v\u1ec1 s\u1ef1 kh\u1ed1n kh\u1ed5 c\u1ee7a tr\u1ebb em VN v\u1edbi s\u1ef1 so s\u00e1nh kh\u00f4ng c\u00f4ng b\u1eb1ng. Th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh nh\u00ecn t\u00f4i h\u1ecfi, \u201cBa th\u1ea5y sao?\u201d \u201cBa r\u1ea5t vui, nh\u1ea5t l\u00e0 c\u00f9ng l\u00e0m vi\u1ec7c thi\u1ec7n nguy\u1ec7n v\u1edbi con. Ph\u1ea3i chi m\u1ed9t ng\u00e0y n\u00e0o \u0111\u00f3 m\u00ecnh c\u00f3 c\u01a1 h\u1ed9i \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c l\u00e0m c\u00f4ng vi\u1ec7c n\u00e0y \u1edf Vi\u1ec7t Nam th\u00ec vui bi\u1ebft m\u1ea5y!\u201d \u201cYes Ba, We Wish!\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/br> (for my son \u2014 who reminds me that compassion is the finest inheritance)<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBecause of you, a child will eat today.\u201d<\/strong> When the soldier took a day off from work, he joined us for dinner. Between bites, he spoke \u2014 lightly, yet with purpose:<\/p>\n \u201cMy birthday\u2019s coming up in a few days. I don\u2019t want presents this year. I don\u2019t even want to go out to eat. I just want to volunteer somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want to do, and where?\u201d his mother asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to go to Keagan \u2014 the Houston Food Bank on I-10 \u2014 to help pack meals for poor kids. You know, the ones who get free lunches at school. When summer comes and school\u2019s out, they go hungry. So people organize food drives for them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard about that,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cWant to go with me, Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure. I\u2019ll go.\u201d<\/p>\n A quiet joy stirred within me. It had been so long since my son and I had done something together \u2014 not for ourselves, but for others.<\/p>\n The day before his birthday, he reminded me to register. I asked him to do it for me, but he said,<\/p>\n \u201cDad, you should sign up yourself \u2014 that way you\u2019ll know what you want to do and where.\u201d<\/p>\n I laughed and said,<\/p>\n \u201cWherever you\u2019re working, I\u2019ll be right beside you. Just put my name down too.\u201d<\/p>\n He did \u2014 and then came the briefing, clear and precise:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be packing food, so wear closed-toe shoes, long sleeves, and keep your hair and beard tidy. They\u2019ll give us aprons and hairnets. Be there by six sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n At 4:45 the next morning, the alarm hadn\u2019t yet rung when my wife\u2019s voice woke me.<\/p>\n \u201cHoney, time to get up. You\u2019ll be late.\u201d<\/p>\n I pulled myself from the warmth of sleep, half-awake but cheerful. I washed up and called upstairs. The soldier was already ready, standing tall in the half-light, his eyes bright with quiet resolve.<\/p>\n We reached the Food Bank at 5:45. I thought we were early, but the warehouse was already alive with people. On the wall, in broad letters, the words glowed:<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of you, a child will eat today.\u201d<\/p>\n Beside them, a large \u201cThank You.\u201d<\/p>\n The message struck deep. My mind drifted homeward \u2014 to Vietnam \u2014 to the children of narrow alleys and dust-blown streets, thin and barefoot, scavenging through garbage heaps, waiting outside restaurants, selling lottery tickets, shining shoes beneath the monsoon rain.<\/p>\n Even here, in this rich land, poverty still lingered \u2014 yet surrounded by mercy and open hands. But the poor here were never as poor as those back home. There were no children here who starved the way ours once did \u2014 and still do.<\/p>\n And yet, the government of my homeland does nothing to help. Worse \u2014 it robs the poor to feed the powerful, squandering fortunes on meaningless monuments, hollow projects, lavish cars, and foreign homes. My throat tightened. I blinked away the tears.<\/p>\n We washed our hands carefully, received aprons and hairnets, and were guided to our stations. By luck, two spots were open side by side. I was assigned the carrots; the soldier, the watermelon.<\/p>\n Six assembly lines worked in rhythm, seven people to each. One opened the bags of thin tortillas. One placed them in small black trays with three compartments. Another added ham, cheese, and greens. I dropped in a spoonful of bright orange carrots. My son followed, filling the last space with ruby cubes of watermelon. Then came inspection, sealing, boxing, and shipping.<\/p>\n Rap music thundered from a speaker above, drowning out the hum of machinery, urging us onward. Now I understood what it meant to \u201cwork like a machine.\u201d<\/p>\n Every few minutes someone would shout,<\/p>\n \u201cTortillas, line five!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVeggies, line four!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMeat, line two!\u201d<\/p>\n When I ran out of carrots, I joined in:<\/p>\n \u201cCarrots, line four!\u201d<\/p>\n A supply runner appeared instantly with more. They moved like clockwork, filling whatever was empty, wherever it was needed.<\/p>\n Feeling playful, I called out,<\/p>\n \u201cBeef steak, line four!\u201d<\/p>\n Laughter rippled across the warehouse. A little later, I added,<\/p>\n \u201cCognac, line four!\u201d<\/p>\n Even the supervisor laughed that time. For a moment, everyone forgot their aching backs.<\/p>\n From the moment we started until the time we finished \u2014 except for a fifteen-minute break at eight \u2014 we worked without pause. I scooped carrots, helped unstick the rolls of ham, and tried to keep up with the relentless pace. No one had time for chatter; only motion, rhythm, and breath.<\/p>\n When we finally stepped outside, the sun had climbed above the horizon. My arms ached, my legs trembled, but my heart felt astonishingly light. Only when I thought again of Vietnam\u2019s hungry children did a shadow pass across it.<\/p>\n The soldier turned to me and asked softly,<\/p>\n \u201cHow was it, Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n I smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt good \u2014 especially doing it with you. If only one day we could do something like this in Vietnam\u2026 how wonderful that would be.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned, eyes bright with the kind of hope I once had.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Dad. We wish.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" H\u00f4m th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ngh\u1ec9 l\u00e0m, c\u00f9ng ch\u00fang t\u00f4i \u0111i ra ngo\u00e0i \u0103n t\u1ed1i. Trong b\u1eefa \u0103n, th\u1eb1ng l\u00ednh ng\u1ecf l\u1eddi:![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/fullsizeoutput_1cb6-300x225.jpeg\")
\nNg\u00e0y 15\/6\/2017<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/br>
\nMy Soldier\u2019s Birthday<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 inscription on the wall of the Houston Food Bank<\/p>\n
\n\u201c\u00cdt h\u00f4m n\u1eefa l\u00e0 sinh nh\u1eadt c\u1ee7a con, con kh\u00f4ng mu\u1ed1n qu\u00e0 c\u00e1p, c\u0169ng kh\u00f4ng mu\u1ed1n \u0111i \u0103n ti\u1ec7m nh\u01b0 m\u1ecdi l\u1ea7n m\u00e0 con ch\u1ec9 mu\u1ed1n \u0111i l\u00e0m thi\u1ec7n nguy\u1ec7n.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,23,3,17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9685"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18360,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685\/revisions\/18360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}