Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Joseph, Humble, Kind & Thoughtful

Today, I was in the car with my sister in law CY.  She commented she will be running out of petrol in car soon. "Joseph will remind me when he gets into my car," she remarked. It was a remark that mark my heart. Yes, Joseph is one who will keep a look out when no one is looking. He is one who observes quietly at the background, unexpectedly, when he sees a need, he steps in. I must admit, I didn't impart that to him, much as I wish I did.

In fact last weekend during breakfast at a hotel, I was both tired and stressed from a nagging flu. Out of frustration, I told both him and Prissy, that they should grow up instead of relying on me to get food for them at the buffet line. And when I was done helping them and started to dig into my food, they had finished and wanted to go home! I was MAD! Lecture from Mummy follows suite....telling them that how inconsiderate both of them were to behave this way, and its time that they step up!
By the next morning, I have forgotten about this incident (thank GOD that I have short memory) but my kids didn't. Both of them helped themselves to the buffet line, even when it meant that Joseph had to order and carry a hot bowl of noodle soup and prissy having to tiptoe to reach the bread. Yes, I'm both touched and proud of their immediate improvement. This just challenges me that being the more mature one, I too should aim for immediate improvement, not delayed nor laden myself with excuses to stay status quo!

So in the car, I continued the conversation about Joseph with God.....The same message was emailed to him!
 Joseph is observant on matters where others aren't! He will observe a need to help out without being asked...in a self-directed way, without drawing attention to himself.
I love your humble spirit, kind and thinking of others! Praise the Lord for you! & I love you!


Thursday, April 20, 2017

It all started with a stye!

2 months ago, Prissy had a stye growing on her right eye. Thinking that this would go away on its own, I ignored it until some time later, my brother observed that the stye had grown into a small round ball about the size of our pinky! By then, i realised that almost half her eye was obstructed. Flustered by the inconvenience of having to consult a doctor, it was time for me to step up to be my girl's personal physician: I took her to the pharmacist, showed him the problem, got the medication and end of the story. But NO, the stye had to grow! I don't know what is wrong with bacteria these days! When I was a child, my stye just went away even without my mother realising it being there in the first place! In 21st century, the bacteria had to get mothers busy, school teachers stressed up from having to help the ill child catch up with missed home work and doctors' pocket filled up! (ok perhaps I'm exaggerating!).

Knowing that I can't delay matters any longer, I brought Prissy to see Dr Chai, who in turn recommended an eye specialist who is located in a bigger town called Ipoh, 40 minutes drive away. Much to my dismay (apart from the distance and time ), the specialist checked her eye thoroughly and gave me a grave look, saying "Based on my experience, such stye would not go away on its own. Since Prissy is still a child, we need to put her on GA and make an incision on her inner eyelid in order to thoroughly remove the puss." I was fighting to contain my disbelief! Gosh, this is not a tumour we are talking about....only a stye. I had goggled enough to be informed that it would go away by itself. Perceiving that I must be resistant to the idea, the doctor suggested to put Prissy on one week's medication before making the final decision.

The following one week was painful for me. Whoever we met, whether at school or on the train, had endless solutions to offer Prissy. "Use the method taught by my grandma!" shared a kind lady who happened to be sitting next to me on the train. "Take a rice kernel and tap lightly on her affected eyelid. The stye would be gone in no time!"  But to those with medical training, they would give a sympathetic nod when they see Prissy.

My dilemma at this point was: I know I have to pray for healing but too many external sources of information tell me that I could solve it on my own - whether its via the knife or rice kernel! "Dear Lord, please forgive my disbelief and lack of faith. I do believe that you can heal. At the same time, I don't want to be disappointed should you choose not to heal without intervention." Memories of unanswered prayer came flashing by, challenging my faith. One day as I looked at Prissy, although with one eye swollen, she carried on with her usual cartwheels and sports. "Prissy's faith matters too" came a small voice.  I knew at that very instant that God will do something but still not quite sure what, when or how.

The 2nd visit to the specialist only confirmed that the incision is inevitable. "Next Monday would be good!" I suggested as I wanted this done and over with. "I'm sorry but the doctor is only available next Thursday for the procedure." The nurse replied.

In the days that followed, I was down with the flu and had to skip the prayer meeting on Tuesday. When Wednesday morning came, Raymond woke me up excitedly and showed me Prissy's stye. Lo and behold, the swelling was gone! Disbelief, I woke up my princess and inspected her eye closely. "Last night, Aaron (my nephew) prayed for Prissy. Half an hour later, Prissy started vomiting profusely. When I came to her to clean her up, I noticed some yellow fluid was stuck on her eyelid." Raymond related last night episode to me. At just the nick of time before the operation on Thursday, God had healed her! And I observed that Prissy's faith in God had grown over this period. What an adventure! Praise the Lord for He indeed will always stay true to His word.

The Lord is Good and His Love endures forever Psalm 100:5

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Letter from a teenager...

Happy Birthday Mom!

I rather type this out than say it to you so that I won't jumble up my thoughts and leave out some stuff I wanna say. Anyways, thanks for being such a wonderful mom to me. I feel touched every time you tell me that you bought breakfast on a Sunday morning. Cause I know that you didn't have much sleep on the night before but still got up just to buy us breakfast.

Also, thanks for being so supportive on what I do and choose. Honestly, I think it makes a huge impact on my life. I have talked to my friends on their parents and compared. I noticed that encouragement and support is pretty vital for a teenager who is trying to get through life.

Thank you for not pressuring me to do more and understanding my right schedule. It gives me a sense of freedom and allows me to manage my time better. (I don't have to worry of not finishing or joining something in case that it will disappoint you)

Thank you for having those long talks about random deep stuff. It helps me relax and free because I can share it with someone that can give me good advice. Despite the reckless mistakes I've made. I really value sessions like those because it brings us closer.

Sorry for all those random outbursts in anger that I have tend to have. There are many times I regret shouting because 1. The reason I am angry is has nothing to do with you. 2. You don't deserve it. So I'm trying to have a more level headed mindset.

Last but not least, thank you for supporting me on my stray dog feeding thing. I often wonder why do you still allow me to buy when I know that it is really costly and annoying to buy. When the dog bit Aunty Tammy's shoe and I asked why you weren't angry, you said "because in the end, it is your happiness that matters" I felt really touched because 1. No one has ever said it to me before. 2. Someone is putting me first. Which is very hard to accept 3. In the Asian culture, phrases like these are never said. So yeah, I was really touched and stuff.

There is still a lot more, but I don't want to make it so long.

All in all, mom, you are one of the most selfless person I know. Thanks for being my mom and friend. Love you :)

Joseph restoring joy to a friend

We were at a family retreat at Cameron Highlands. Children were having a fun time playing frisbees when one child, Ashton, threw the frisbee...