I was deeply moved by Dan's most recent post about his late mother. I couldn't stop rying after reading it. I wasn't sure why. Maybe because a part of me wished I had the privilege to meet Dan's parents... or maybe I just wished I could be there for Dan and give him a big hug when he wrote that post... *sighs* I had promised him some time ago to learn how to cook shark fin's soup for him when he told me how much he missed his mother's cooking... because she usta cook that for him... =) Dan, be patient, okie? =P
This is what he wrote:
So goes the famous song by Celine Dion, which very much sums up how a person's life is changed just because someone believed in them, had faith in them and loved them. Which very much describes to me the love of a mother, hence the post for this special occasion. Seems like this blog's becoming a seasonal blog of late, only updated during special occasions. But of course I do hope to post more often, if it haven't been for the never-ending workload and lack of motivation to write interesting stories. But anyhow, for this Mother's Day I was just moved to write on something close to my heart: the value of family, and in this occasion, the love of a mother.
Well, for this Mother's Day, it's just been a simple family dinner with my godmum (technically aunt) and the rest of the family, all of whom have come back for the special occasion, as well as to celebrate her birthday, which coincidentally falls on the same day as Mother's Day this year. Well, so much for that.
Nature dictates that mothers are instinctively attached and extremely protective of their children. If you've tried to mess around with a kitten or a puppy with its mother looking at you, you'd get my drift. And those same traits are true to us humans as well. We've seen movies and heard stories on how far a mother would go to ensure the best for their children, and to my own mother it was no exception. As a little kid of 10 I lost my dad and she was left as a single parent to take care of the household all by herself. I never could understand how difficult it was to work and also at the same time come home to prepare meals, pick up the kids, clean up and perform motherly duties until I saw for myself how tough it was just working alone, without even including household chores! And my salute goes out to her, and all mothers who have faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities; it's indeed a blessing that many of us children take for granted.
Ps. Clement mentioned today that perhaps God meant for a family to have both a father's and mother's love combined to reflect the love of God to us. And I do believe that. Although I wouldn't say that my mother was or had been a perfect example of a Christian or that she had really taught me the ways of God, but one thing I am grateful for that till today still serves as a reminder of how God's love is like was the way she disciplined me. Just as the Bible says that no discipline is comfortable at the time when it is given, so was I during the days of my childhood; the pain and all, and sometimes I really did think of her as a ruthless tyrant. It is only years down the road that I can now look back and thank her for not sparing the rod back then. I could today say confidently that had it not been for her hard love i wouldn't turn out as the kind of person I am today.
And having attended the funeral of Aunty Ruby (Ps. Clement's mum) just 2-3 weeks ago, listening to testimonies of the people close to her and how she had been like a mother to them all, it does remind us that the time we have with our parents isn't all that long. And I could personally understand how their family felt at that time of bereavement; for those of you who didn't know, I lost my beloved mother at the age of 18 to cancer, and that it was that night when I received a call from the hospital informing me of the news that the cold reality struck me: she was gone. Although the last 2 years I had with her had been somewhat years of reconciliation between the both of us (I was an extremely rebellious teen back in those days) as well as years when she rededicated her life to the Lord, if I could ask God for something I definitely ask for more years with her. I loved what Ps. Clement wrote in the church newsletter this morning in a tribute to Aunty Ruby, that "...but the Lord has numbered your years, and it's only because of this that we are able to let you go." And in this I took comfort, that the Lord has it all under control in His hands. I would've loved to talk with her like a friend and share more quality family time with her like how my peers do their parents, but whatever time I had with her I will always remember and be grateful for. Although it's Mother's Day and I can't say "I love you" to her in person anymore, here's this post in honor of you, Mum. Just like the last line in the title song, I'm everything I am, because you loved me.
This is what he wrote:
So goes the famous song by Celine Dion, which very much sums up how a person's life is changed just because someone believed in them, had faith in them and loved them. Which very much describes to me the love of a mother, hence the post for this special occasion. Seems like this blog's becoming a seasonal blog of late, only updated during special occasions. But of course I do hope to post more often, if it haven't been for the never-ending workload and lack of motivation to write interesting stories. But anyhow, for this Mother's Day I was just moved to write on something close to my heart: the value of family, and in this occasion, the love of a mother.
Well, for this Mother's Day, it's just been a simple family dinner with my godmum (technically aunt) and the rest of the family, all of whom have come back for the special occasion, as well as to celebrate her birthday, which coincidentally falls on the same day as Mother's Day this year. Well, so much for that.
Nature dictates that mothers are instinctively attached and extremely protective of their children. If you've tried to mess around with a kitten or a puppy with its mother looking at you, you'd get my drift. And those same traits are true to us humans as well. We've seen movies and heard stories on how far a mother would go to ensure the best for their children, and to my own mother it was no exception. As a little kid of 10 I lost my dad and she was left as a single parent to take care of the household all by herself. I never could understand how difficult it was to work and also at the same time come home to prepare meals, pick up the kids, clean up and perform motherly duties until I saw for myself how tough it was just working alone, without even including household chores! And my salute goes out to her, and all mothers who have faithfully fulfilled their responsibilities; it's indeed a blessing that many of us children take for granted.
Ps. Clement mentioned today that perhaps God meant for a family to have both a father's and mother's love combined to reflect the love of God to us. And I do believe that. Although I wouldn't say that my mother was or had been a perfect example of a Christian or that she had really taught me the ways of God, but one thing I am grateful for that till today still serves as a reminder of how God's love is like was the way she disciplined me. Just as the Bible says that no discipline is comfortable at the time when it is given, so was I during the days of my childhood; the pain and all, and sometimes I really did think of her as a ruthless tyrant. It is only years down the road that I can now look back and thank her for not sparing the rod back then. I could today say confidently that had it not been for her hard love i wouldn't turn out as the kind of person I am today.
And having attended the funeral of Aunty Ruby (Ps. Clement's mum) just 2-3 weeks ago, listening to testimonies of the people close to her and how she had been like a mother to them all, it does remind us that the time we have with our parents isn't all that long. And I could personally understand how their family felt at that time of bereavement; for those of you who didn't know, I lost my beloved mother at the age of 18 to cancer, and that it was that night when I received a call from the hospital informing me of the news that the cold reality struck me: she was gone. Although the last 2 years I had with her had been somewhat years of reconciliation between the both of us (I was an extremely rebellious teen back in those days) as well as years when she rededicated her life to the Lord, if I could ask God for something I definitely ask for more years with her. I loved what Ps. Clement wrote in the church newsletter this morning in a tribute to Aunty Ruby, that "...but the Lord has numbered your years, and it's only because of this that we are able to let you go." And in this I took comfort, that the Lord has it all under control in His hands. I would've loved to talk with her like a friend and share more quality family time with her like how my peers do their parents, but whatever time I had with her I will always remember and be grateful for. Although it's Mother's Day and I can't say "I love you" to her in person anymore, here's this post in honor of you, Mum. Just like the last line in the title song, I'm everything I am, because you loved me.
***
Dan, even though we're separated by distance, there hasn't been a day that I didn't miss you for you're my best confidante. Happy 23rd birthday once again, Danny boy... *hugz* Hope you were touched by the birthday song I sang to you... ;) Take care, Dan.
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