William Zihan Zhou

子涵爸爸的追思文

亲爱的主内弟兄姐妹、各位周子涵的同学、好友，感谢大家参加我亲爱的儿子----William周子涵的追思礼，来向他作最后的告别。也在此特别感谢华人归正教会、兰里教会、信友堂三联教会，感谢你们在我们最绝望和最无力的时候给予我们最温暖的安慰和最有力的帮助。

我儿子周子涵于11月27日晚上9:05离开我们，归入天家。我和他母亲从此失去了一生中的挚爱。在他归入天父的怀抱那一刻，当时我还在中国，恍惚不认为这是真实的，我们这么温顺良善、为人着想、乐于助人的孩子居然就突然离我们而去，我们一下子失去了对生活所有的希望，我们沉浸在极大的悲伤、我们懊悔、心如刀割。

儿子，谢谢你23年来的相伴，是你给了我做父亲的身份，如今你却突然离我们而去，你我23年的父子情怎能了结，老爸过几天带你回老家，让爸爸多陪陪你。

还清晰记得你刚学会走路的样子，在学步车上追着我跑的笑声；你三岁时我偷偷跟着你走到小区门卫室，看着你在等幼儿园班车时给门卫叔叔讲故事的情景；你还不知道吧？在你初中时我无意中看到你的初三女同学写给你的第一封情书，爸爸为你每一个成长阶段而开心；

爸爸知道你在计算机编程方面上帝给你特别的恩赐，从三岁就和计算机结下不解之缘，初中时就开始自学各种编程书，爸爸对你的未来是多么的憧憬。

2016年9月，16岁的你前往温哥华兰里的念高中，接着又考上你心仪的SFU计算机科学，听着你敲键盘的声音，每天这么辛苦的编程，开发各种小程序，虽然爸爸不懂，但爸爸相信你将来一定会在计算机上大有成就，爸爸心里真开心呀，更为你自豪。你知道吗？你是多么值得我们欣慰的儿子，在你打工第一个月赚得的薪水，你马上给你妈妈和我各发一个大红包，很开心地说“老爸老妈这是我自己赚的钱”；

你妈还告诉我几天前你还说：“老爸要来了，我要给他买张新椅子”，你还说“我要带爸爸去泡温泉”；儿子，我的椅子呢？儿子，你什么时候带我去泡温泉呀？你还说：“接下来可以每个天气好的周末就开车带你妈妈去温哥华每个湖边走一圈。”儿子，我们什么时候开始走呀？你怎么说话不算数，是耍赖吗？

你这么孝顺的儿子，父母怎么舍得你这样离去，亲人们都伤痛不绝。他们都很喜欢你，都爱你，更何况你的父母，在巨大的悲痛中，我和你妈妈都连续几天不能睡觉。我们实在无法接受这么好的儿子离我们而去，我们甚至质疑上帝。回顾往事，我们真觉得自己不配做你的父母。你是个好儿子，可我们却不是个好父母。我们没有真正懂你，我们只是以我们自己的方式去爱你，宝贝，爸爸没有好好的陪伴你，在你人生很多重要的时刻爸爸都缺席，这次爸爸准备在圣诞节过来多陪你的时候，你却不等我，宝贝对不起，请原谅父亲的不足。只有天父才是完美的父，他才真正懂你，以他真正的大爱温暖你的心。爸爸知道你累了，你真的想休息了。所以怜悯你的天父，接你回天家，在祂的怀抱你才能得到真正爱的滋养。你的离开虽然我们很伤痛，但也有很大的安慰和盼望，在今年9月你从傅凯斌牧师的福音布道会回来，与我分享自己蒙恩的经历，你说自己已经在会上决志信主，真正接受耶稣基督成为你个人的救主。主耶稣应许我们说。复活在我、生命也我，信我的人，必能复活。所以我们相信你是被主接去，与他同在一起，享受永远的福乐。将来有一天，耶稣基督再来时侯，必会把你带来，那时，我们必在耶稣基督面前一同相聚。

儿子，你聪明、懂事、正直、不虚假、善解人意，又孝顺，爸爸以你为荣，儿子你放心爸妈知道你的心意，我们会好好活着。

儿子你安息吧，我们天堂再见！

Memorial text from William’s Dad

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, classmates and friends of William Zhou Zihan, thank you for attending the memorial service of my beloved son, William Zhou Zihan, to bid him a final farewell. I would also like to express my  thanks to the Chinese Reformed Church, Langley Canadian Reformed Church, and Faith Chinese Baptist Church Tri-City Campus, for your warmest comfort and strongest support when we were most desperate and powerless.

My son Zhou Zihan left us and returned to the heavenly home at 9:05 pm on November 27. His mother and I have lost our lifelong love. At the moment he returned to the arms of his Heavenly Father, I was still in China, and I couldn’t believe it was true. Our gentle, kind, considerate, and helpful child suddenly left us, and we lost all hope for life. We were immersed in great sadness, regret, and heartache.

Dear Son, thank you for your company for 23 years. You gave me the identity of a father, but now you left us so suddenly. How can the 23 years of father-son relationship be ended? Dad will take you back to your hometown in a few days and have more time together with you.

I still remember clearly how you learned to walk, chasing me in the walker with laughter. When you were three years old, I secretly followed you to the guard room of our community, and watched you tell stories to the guards while waiting for the kindergarten bus. Maybe you don’t know that, I accidentally saw the first love letter from your female classmate when you were in Grade 8. Dad was happy for your growth at every stage.

Dad knows that you were given special gift in computer programming. You have been inseparable from computers since you were three years old. You started to teach yourself various programming books in middle school. How much expectations did dad had to your future.

In September 2016, you came to Langley to attend high school at the age of 16. After two years, you were admitted to your favorite university SFU, with your favorite major computer science. When I listening to the sound of you typing keyboard, seeing you work so hard everyday to write code and develop various apps, although Dad didn't understand the details, Dad always believed that you would achieve great success in computers in the future. Dad was really happy and proud of you. Do you know? You are such a gratifying son. When you first time received salary from your part-time job, you immediately sent a big red envelope to your mother and me, and happily said, “Dad and mom, I myself earned the money.”

Your mom also told me that, a few days ago you said to her, "Dad is coming, I would buy him a new chair", and also, "I would take Dad to the hot springs." Dear son, where is my chair? Dear Son, when will you take me to the hot springs? You also said, "From now on, I would drive my mom to Vancouver and walk around every lake every weekend when the weather is allowed." Dear son, when will we start the walk? Why don't you keep your word? Are you cheating us?

You are such a filial son, how can we bear to let you go this way? All the relatives are heartbroken. All of them like you and love you so much, say nothing of your parents. Your mother and I are in the great grief, we haven’t slept for several days. We still can't accept the truth that such a good son left us already. We even questioned God for that. When we looking back on the past, we really feel that we are not qualified parents. You are a good son, but we are not good parents. We didn't really understand you, we just loved you in our own way. My dear, I'm sorry, I didn't accompany you well. I was absent at many important moments in your life. As to this time, I had been ready to come and spend more time with you for Christmas, but you didn't wait for me. Dear child, I'm sorry, please forgive your dad's inadequacy. Only the heavenly Father is the perfect father, only he truly understands you, and warms your heart with His true love. Dad knows you are tired, you really want to rest. So your compassionate heavenly Father took you back to heaven, where you can be nourished in his  lovely arms. Your departure gives us great pain, but we are also  be comforted and have hope. In September this year, when you came back from the evangelistic conference by pastor Fu Kaibin, you shared with me your faith experience. You told me that you truly accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and decided to believe in the Lord from now on. The Lord Jesus promised us, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." Therefor we believe that you are taken away by the Lord and are with him now, enjoying eternal beatitude. One day, when Jesus Christ comes again, he will bring you back with him, and then we will meet together.

Dear son, you are smart, sensible, honest, sincere, considerate, and filial. Dad is proud of you. don't worry, dad and mom know your wills, we will live well.

Dear son, rest in peace. See you in heaven!