By Yang Wang
Last Tuesday, my friends Chris and Teresa, a married couple, took me to their church for a Christmas lunch. I am agnostic, but have general interest in learning about the teachings of different religions and the philosophies behind them. Sometimes I go with friends to their gatherings. On the day, many participants brought delicious homemade dishes. After the meal, the pastor gave a speech, followed by Christmas carol singing by everybody. Some of the songs were familiar to me, others were not. Teresa is a francophone, and used to live in Montreal. She said in those days local newspapers would distribute Christmas carol booklets for free before the holiday. I could imagine how many warm and nostalgic memories would come to the minds of those who grew up singing these songs.
The theme of the pastor’s talk was how to find inner peace. I strongly agreed with one point he made: peace does not come only when everything goes smoothly in life, when there is no stress, illness, or pain. For him, following Jesus brings inner peace. For me, as I grow older, I increasingly understand that nobody would have a challenge-free life, no matter what; doing what we can and learning to live with what we cannot control helps us move forward with peace.
Chris and Teresa are an interesting couple. Before his retirement, Chris was a head hunter in technology and engineering area, using more or less his academic background in chemical engineering. Now he is a very popular dance host at a dance club. He is 12 years older than Teresa, and will turn 80 at the end of this year. Both are in their second marriage and have been together for 24 years. They met on the dancing floor, and still go dancing together once a week. Chris likes to make fun of himself, claiming that his dancing/piano playing/ability to please wife isn’t good enough, and his hearing is poor especially when Teresa criticizes him (still sharp at her praises, though), and so on and so forth. Teresa would ask us to ignore him—he is just playing humble to fish for compliments, she points out ruthlessly. Privately, however, she often praises him, for example for being knowledgeable and generous.
After we became friends, Teresa told me that when they met, Chris had just been diagnosed with leukemia. Over all these years he has been undergoing treatment, and at one point he had nearly lost hope. Fortunately, an experimental new drug worked for him. He still needs regular checkups and treatment, and it has some negative effects on his heart, lungs, and kidneys; his lung capacity is only about 75% of that of a normal person. I was quite shocked upon hearing this. Chris looks full of energy, with stamina comparable to that of a young man. As a dedicated dance host, he dances ballroom for four or five hours in a row, three or four days a week, hardly stopping even when drenched in sweat. He has never shown the slightest sign of worry. If Teresa hadn’t mentioned it, I would never have imagined that he was coping with such a health condition. Later, when I asked him about it, he said his trick was to train his brain to believe that he was not sick, or not tired. I’m not sure whether it is true or he was just joking again.
The couple are both very kind and generous. Children from their extended family come to stay with them every year, and they take them, sometimes the kids’ friends as well, to the Science Center, zoos, botanical gardens, Niagara Falls, and many other places, making sure the little ones have a wonderful time. They regularly give rides to neighbours and friends, taking them along for various outings and events to enjoy life together. One can easily see peace in their hearts!
Last month, I went to a comedy show organized by a blind women’s group. On the way back, At Kennedy Station, a young man, seeing me walk with a white cane, stopped to ask whether I need help. I gladly asked him to guide me to the pick-up area to take Uber. When we reached the exit, I found out that the payment method on my new phone hadn’t been set up successfully so I couldn’t call an Uber. He ordered it for me from his own phone, and refused to take money from me. We argued a lot there, and finally I forced him to accept my cash. Adre was a slender Grade 12 student. He came from Albania a couple of years ago with his family, and had a 4-year-old brother and a 2-year-old sister. He would go to an apprentice program to become a plumber. I told him he’d have a good career and family because he had a good heart. I was so touched by the young lad’s innocence and kindness. It was like I received an early Christmas gift!
Because of my impaired vision, I often run into warm-hearted strangers and get to witness the most beautiful side of human nature. From this perspective, I am a very fortunate person. Not to mention that in Toronto, there are many organizations and volunteers serving the blind, providing help with transportation, life skills and technology training, and recreational activities, to a large extent ensuring that we can live independently and happily.
I am sharing here a documentary about blind tennis, which also marks the beginning of my annual fundraising campaign for the Toronto blind community. This summer, while we were training, the club invited a film crew to shoot on site and produce an instructional video. The narrators and demonstrators are all volunteers and blind players from the club. At the screening evening, we listened to those familiar voices; it felt so much fun! The full instructional video is posted on the club’s website. The YouTube video I’m sharing here is a shorter version edited from it, and is easier to access. What’s blind tennis?! Inside Toronto’s Blind Tennis community – YouTube
This will be my 10th year into the fundraising effort, and there will happen to be ten blind organizations on my list, including comprehensive service agencies, peer support groups, various sports clubs, and a podcast team serving the blind. Check the list in the Comments area. Interested friends please kindly contact me at robulinca@gmail.com and let me know how much you’d like to donate, and I’ll give the direct links to those organizations. Every dollar counts. Thank you so much for generously helping these charities and non-profit organizations continue to serve for the blind community!
Finally, I would like to conclude this year-end reflection with a quote from Ian White, one of the founding directors and now an advisor of the East and West Learning Connections (EAWLC). Serving for EAWLC has been the biggest volunteer work for many of my colleagues and myself. In a chaotic world, doing something to promote communication and understanding among people from different cultural backgrounds, however small, brings a measure of inner peace, and keeps one hopeful for the future.
“Your work over many years to bring community together around our common humanity is deeply inspiring and a model we all should emulate. The tragedy in Australia is a sorrowful example of the demonization of one group by another. There are so many examples of this around the world right now that it is easy to be discouraged, to give up hope that we will ever learn. Yet, it is your belief that we can learn, that we can do better, that we can accept each other’s differences and celebrate our common goals and aspirations that makes EAWLC such an exceptional endeavor, and your drive to give us all that opportunity so important. Especially in the face of such acts of hatred.”
May we have a world without wars, and wishing you and your loved ones peace, dreams fulfilled, good health, and happiness in 2026!
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Note: This article was written originally in Chinese on December 24, 2025. It was translated into English by ChatGPT, and edited by myself.
For accessible technology users: article in English ends here. Below is the same article in Chinese. Your screen-reading software may not pick it up. The heading of Comments area in English follows the two versions of the article.
何 以 安 宁 （ 兼 何 为 盲 人 网 球 ）
上周二，朋友Chris和Teresa夫妇带我去他们的教会吃圣诞午餐。我并非教徒，但对了解不同宗教的教义及其中哲理一直很有兴趣，有时也会应朋友们之邀，跟着去参加他们的聚会。众人自带的家常饭菜丰盛可口，饭后牧师演讲，最后大家合唱圣诞颂歌。有些歌我熟悉，有些不。Teresa是francophone（母语法语），说她以前在蒙特利尔的时候，当地报纸节前会免费发放圣诞歌曲的歌词小册子。像她一样从小唱着这些歌长大的人，想必能在歌声中唤回许多温馨的记忆。牧师演讲的主题是如何找到内心的安宁（peace）。我很同意他说的一点，就是并非万事如意、生活里没有压力、疾病或痛苦，人才会获得安宁。对他来说，全心跟随基督，内心就会安宁。对我来说，年纪渐长，越来越明白，人生不如意者即使没有十之八九，也永远不会为零，任谁都是如此；尽己所能做点事情，与之共存便是。
话说这对朋友夫妇，先生Chris年底就80整了，大学时主修化学工程，退休前是猎头，现在是一家舞蹈俱乐部非常受欢迎的dance host。他比太太Teresa大12岁，两人都是第二段婚姻，结合已有24年。他们于舞厅相遇，现在仍然每周一起去跳一次舞。Chris喜欢自嘲：舞跳得不够好，钢琴弹得不够精彩，讨太太欢心不够给力、（太太批评时）耳力不济（表扬时倒还灵敏），等等。Teresa每每一针见血地指出：别理他，他这就是在以退为进，向人讨称赞呢。她背地里倒是常常称赞他的，比如知识丰富、对人慷慨。相熟以后， Teresa告诉我，他们认识的时候， Chris刚查出有白血病，这么多年来一直在治疗，中间也曾几乎放弃过希望，后来幸亏有一个实验性的新药对他很有效，至今仍需定期去诊疗，而这些治疗对心肺和肾功能还是有损伤的，他的肺功能只有平常人的75%。我刚听到时很受震动。因为Chris看上去精气神非常足，体力也堪比年轻人–作为一个敬业的dance host，每周有三四天会马不停蹄地跳四五个小时的交谊舞，即使大汗淋漓也不停歇。他自己从未流露过任何忧虑之色。若不是Teresa说起，我绝想不到他身负重病。后来问及，他说他的方法是训练自己的脑子，让它认为自己没病，或者不累。他总喜欢开玩笑，所以我不知他这是在开玩笑呢，还是得了精神胜利法的真经。他们夫妻二人对人非常好，亲戚家的小朋友每年都会到他们这里来，他们带着去科学馆、动植物园、大瀑布等各处游玩，让小朋友们开开心心。甚至小朋友们的伙伴们、移民邻居和像我这样的大朋友，他们也经常车载车送，带着一起去游玩、远足，参加各种活动，尽情享受生活。他们的内心，有看得见的安宁。
11月底，我参加一个盲人妇女组织的喜剧之夜活动后，坐地铁回家。在肯尼迪车站，正从月台出来走上楼梯，一个从旁经过的年轻人停下脚步，问我需不需要帮忙？于是请他带我去出租车上下客的地方，准备打Uber回家。小伙子Abre两年前跟爸妈从阿尔巴尼亚移民来，家里还有四岁的弟弟和两岁的妹妹。他在上12年级，毕业后打算去当学徒，以后做一个管道工。他瘦瘦的，个头不高，当了管道工以后，该可以锻炼的壮实些吧？到得出口处，我发现新手机上的支付方式仍未建好，打不了Uber。Abre掏出手机，说我也有Uber App，我帮你轿车。我说好吧，你看看要多少钱，我给你现金。他说不用给，我不会收你钱的。我说那怎么行？你还在用你爸妈的钱呢，可不能这么瞎大方。他说我已经工作了。我说那也不行，没这个理儿……我俩站那争了半天，最后我强迫他收下了车费。我对他说，你将来一定会有一个好的职业发展和家庭，因为你有一颗很好的心。至今想起来，仍会被这个少年的纯真善良打动，觉得像是提前收到了一份圣诞礼物。
因为视障，经常会得到陌生人的热心相助，见证人性中最美好的一面。从这个角度看，我是一个非常幸运的人。更不必说在多伦多，有很多盲人组织和志愿者，为我们提供从出行、电脑培训到娱乐活动的各种帮助，很大程度上保证了我们能够独立而快乐地生活。这里贴一个盲人网球俱乐部的纪录片，就此开始我一年一度为多伦多盲人社区进行的筹款。今年夏天，我们训练的时候，俱乐部请来一支摄影队，实地拍摄，做出一个教学视频。里面的讲解员、示范者，全是俱乐部的志愿者和盲人球员；我们听了，都觉得又亲切又有趣。教学视频贴在俱乐部的网站上，更详细。我贴的这个YouTube视频，是在它基础上剪辑的短篇，名为What’s Blind Tennis，更容易打开。 What’s blind tennis?! Inside Torontos Blind Tennis community – YouTube
跟过去九年差不多，我今年将为10个盲人组织筹款，里面有综合性的服务机构如CCB、Balance、CNIB，也有各种体育俱乐部如网球、高尔夫、远足、自行车、足球、公园挑战赛等公益团体，还有为盲人服务的播客团队。请感兴趣的朋友们慷慨解囊，多少随意，让涓涓善意流入这些慈善组织，帮助它们维持运转，能够持续为盲人提供服务。 请发邮件至robulinca@gmail.com，告知捐款金额，我把相应组织的捐款地址发给你。鞠躬感谢先！
最后，我想用东西联学社的创始董事之一、现任顾问Ian White的一段话来结束这篇年终小文。为EAWLC服务，是许多同仁们和我投入精力最多的志愿者工作。世界混乱，做些促进人与人之间交流的事情，即使微不足道，也让心里有一丝安宁，觉得未来是有希望的。
“Your work over many years to bring community together around our common humanity is deeply inspiring and a model we all should emulate. The tragedy in Australia is a sorrowful example of the demonization of one group by another. There are so many examples of this around the world right now that it is easy to be discouraged, to give up hope that we will ever learn. Yet, it is your belief that we can learn, that we can do better, that we can accept each other’s differences and celebrate our common goals and aspirations that makes EAWLC such an exceptional endeavor, and your drive to give us all that opportunity so important. Especially in the face of such acts of hatred. “
祝福各位在2026年内心有安宁、梦想能成真，身体健康、生活美满。愿世界和平。
节日快乐！
汪洋 2025年12月24日
