I’ll never forget that spring afternoon, sitting in Noodles and Companyon Colorado Blvd. that my friend Wei got the phone call from his sister back in Malaysia that his mother had fallen ill. I don’t think it was more than a week later that Wei had given away virtually everything he owned and boarded a plane bound for his childhood home. He wouldn’t make it. His mother had died before he had the chance to say his final goodbye and the trip effectively ended his long fight with the U.S. immigration department who had built a case that Wei was no longer welcome in this country. I miss my friend. I received more bad news today–news that he would discontinue his blog, “Torn Notebook”, one of the finest pieces of theological internet blabbery (and I mean that in the best possible sense) out there. While I respect his decision to move on, the internet world is loosing a crucially sane and honest voice. More than anything, I’m sad to see it go because Wei taught me more than most people in this world have, and with his blog, I was able to hold on to some of those conversations I so enjoyed during his years in Denver. Please, if you get a chance, check it out one last time. Explore. It will make you think–I promise.
July 16, 2008
