You've been gone for a long while now. It's been 16 years. Yet, your life has had a profound impact on mine in so many ways. And so this very first post in the series is dedicated to you.
My siblings and I used to call you 'Thaima' (Hokkien for great grandmother).
You were never the kind of person who'd stand out in a crowd or draw attention to yourself. I remember you always doing things quietly and faithfully. Also, no matter how life was tough on you, you never became bitter - even to those who have treated you like dirt or to those who’ve wronged you. And from the stories you told me of your childhood and your life, you would have had plenty or reasons to be - living in poverty, then sold by your parents when you were young to a rich man who later became your husband so that you could bear his barren first wife some children. Life was harsh and even unfair to you in so many ways. Yet, you’ve never grumbled, never complained, never uttered a single bad thing about them.
At the same time, I remember that you were always thankful for even the smallest things. You'd take more than 10 mins to thank God for your small fillet-o-fish burger. ‘Kam siah chu’ (Thank You Jesus) would never be far from your lips and I remember hearing them every day.
I also remember you sitting at my bedside every night to pray over my sister and I while we were sleeping. Sometimes I'd wake up and peek at you as you prayed. You’d sit by the edge of the bed and mumble words continuously for a long time in the dark. When I grew older, I remember asking you what you’d pray for us. You said that you’d pray that we'd grow strong in God, that we'd do well in our studies and in our future. Many years after you’d gone, at different points of my life, I’d look back and wonder if God is still answering your prayers for me. I wonder if you’d ever envision that I’d be a full time worker one day – and if you’d be proud of me if you knew.
Your simple faith in God has also always been a challenge to me. God always seem to answer your prayers no matter how small they were. I recollect of the time when I lost my watch or keys for the umpteenth time and I knew I’d be in big trouble if I couldn’t find them and I enlisted your help. Though you scolded me, you prayed that you’d find it. You did so in a matter of minutes while it took me more than a futile hour (which prompted me to desperately turn to you for help).
I remember wishing that you’d be around until I was 30 (which meant that you’d be a hundred years old) so the day you went home was one of the saddest of my life – though I knew you’d gone home to be with God. I remember looking out of the window of the hospital that morning you and wondered why the sky was so clear and beautiful when my world had turned gray.
It’s been 16 years now and there are days when I’d remember you and still miss you. I still want to be like you in so many ways – your simple faith, your thankfulness and your constancy in prayers. As your great-granddaughter, your legacy of faith to me is very much treasured.
Thank You for her.
My siblings and I used to call you 'Thaima' (Hokkien for great grandmother).
You were never the kind of person who'd stand out in a crowd or draw attention to yourself. I remember you always doing things quietly and faithfully. Also, no matter how life was tough on you, you never became bitter - even to those who have treated you like dirt or to those who’ve wronged you. And from the stories you told me of your childhood and your life, you would have had plenty or reasons to be - living in poverty, then sold by your parents when you were young to a rich man who later became your husband so that you could bear his barren first wife some children. Life was harsh and even unfair to you in so many ways. Yet, you’ve never grumbled, never complained, never uttered a single bad thing about them.
At the same time, I remember that you were always thankful for even the smallest things. You'd take more than 10 mins to thank God for your small fillet-o-fish burger. ‘Kam siah chu’ (Thank You Jesus) would never be far from your lips and I remember hearing them every day.
I also remember you sitting at my bedside every night to pray over my sister and I while we were sleeping. Sometimes I'd wake up and peek at you as you prayed. You’d sit by the edge of the bed and mumble words continuously for a long time in the dark. When I grew older, I remember asking you what you’d pray for us. You said that you’d pray that we'd grow strong in God, that we'd do well in our studies and in our future. Many years after you’d gone, at different points of my life, I’d look back and wonder if God is still answering your prayers for me. I wonder if you’d ever envision that I’d be a full time worker one day – and if you’d be proud of me if you knew.
Your simple faith in God has also always been a challenge to me. God always seem to answer your prayers no matter how small they were. I recollect of the time when I lost my watch or keys for the umpteenth time and I knew I’d be in big trouble if I couldn’t find them and I enlisted your help. Though you scolded me, you prayed that you’d find it. You did so in a matter of minutes while it took me more than a futile hour (which prompted me to desperately turn to you for help).
I remember wishing that you’d be around until I was 30 (which meant that you’d be a hundred years old) so the day you went home was one of the saddest of my life – though I knew you’d gone home to be with God. I remember looking out of the window of the hospital that morning you and wondered why the sky was so clear and beautiful when my world had turned gray.
It’s been 16 years now and there are days when I’d remember you and still miss you. I still want to be like you in so many ways – your simple faith, your thankfulness and your constancy in prayers. As your great-granddaughter, your legacy of faith to me is very much treasured.
Thank You for her.
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