Uncle Ma Thar, Ma Thar Gway, Tee Ma Thar, Thar Qua

was the only uncle I had the pleasure of growing up with. My only regret is that I wish I had made more memories with him and gotten to know him deeply. I remembered when I was that young, my family and I would visit his places. He lived from place to place and worked with different Thai bosses. One of the Thai owners has an enormous amount of land, including bamboo forests and various fruit trees, fish ponds, a river, a mountain with a cave, and vegetable fields. You can grab anything you were starved for—my favorite: pomelo and young coconut—not easy to fetch them as red army ants call it home, and they become wild when disturbed. Uncle Ma Thar was a caretaker. The place was a vacation home and a getaway resort. I got to stay in one of the houses and explore Thai culture. At one time, my uncle Ma Thar relocated to different places near rice fields, a bamboo hut at the top of the hill. I loved everything that place had to offer; for one, the landscape was amazing. The view in the morning, with mists and water droplets on leaves as the sunrise and the light shines through, orchestrating beams of rainbow. Nowadays, I long for such a place. Wild and naked with nature. I was blessed and relish my childhood as part of his, and the memories I share with Uncle Ma Thar that I will tell in my future story. 

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He was loud. 
He was humorous. 
Cheerful. 
He was courageous. 
Caring. 
A man of taste. 
A brother. 
A husband. 
A father. 
A friend of many. 
And a wonderful uncle. 

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May you rest in peace and be forever remembered. 

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In

memory

of

the

loss,

let’s take a moment to

remember,

acknowledge,

and

embrace

the loss.

 

Love nephew,

 

​—MD