A Dozen Brothers

There were a dozen and then there were eleven. 

So the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat played in the city. What an amazing wonderful time. The band of brothers were truly inspiring.

Gifts - they are all amateurs from different walks of life. In 7 months they are transformed to a musical, harmonising in song and dance troupe. Worthy of any west end musical.

Story line - from jealousy and attempted murder, to repentance and self-sacrificing love. They captured the emotions so well, drawing from their own experience despite their young age.

Acknowledging that favouritism can cause much division and ill-feeling. But also recognising how only God, and He alone, can enable release of forgiveness, deposit hope in hopelessness, bring about redemption, and an amazing beyond-all-imagination future.

The first time this was produced, my third Arrow was in the children's choir.

That Time of the Year

It is happening this weekend!
Unless you live in England...

Thousands will celebrate this. 

But I also remember those who are struggling to conceive. Those who are having to cope w multiple miscarriages. This will be a difficult weekend for them. I know because I was once like them.

The sense of hopelessness, sadness, and a lack of fulfilment. The pain of watching those dear to you get married after you, and are now either pregnant or holding lovely babies in their arms. Your own arms feel so very empty. It was worse for me when I was working as a midwife. I watched women giving newborns away for adoption. I saw women signing forms to consent for abortions... I felt the love and loss of the women as I grieved for their fruits.

It took a while. Finally, I got to a point where I could agree to be present at the birth of one of my best friend's baby. What joy. Three months prior I hated the sight of her. Her distended belly made me feel even more inadequate and I entertained unreasonable thoughts like "You did this just to spite me!"

It was a process. Finally I could say honestly that I was at peace with whatever God had in store for me. I had what I thought were promises of sons before I even got married. But God is sovereign. And I could enjoy going traveling with my husband at the drop of a hat.

It was a triumph! I could laugh at the enemy. I could celebrate, worship and adore God despite my circumstances. Who I was (and am) is defined by HIM and HIM alone! Hallelujah!

And then the Lord opened my womb.

He indeed works in mysterious ways.

While I dont feel the pain of the past, I remember the difficulties. While I no longer shed such tears, I shed them when I pray alongside and for those who do. 

You know who you are - Hannahs with wombs waiting to be filled by Samuels. Praying and standing with you at this time.

Memories....

There I was, standing in front of the mirror. I was preparing to go out for dinner. I had my entire outfit picked out, down to the accessories. Hubby of course was ready to go anytime!

Then problem arose - I could not find my clutch bags - the black one, which was with my white one, and which was together with my cream one.

That cream one. It's special. Because it’s from Mom.

As a little girl, I would watch her get ready for dinner and I would wait not-so-patiently for the moment when she brought this special bag out. How I loved this bag. It came along with wisps of perfume caressing the nostrils, with makeup and special softness which enhanced a glow on Mom's face for the evening. I would wait for that chance when she would pass me the bag to "take care for her". Then I would gently, almost revererently, finger the beads, caress the workmanship, and admire the entire craftsmanship. Those were special moments.

It was a truly special moment when on one visit home my Mom handed this symbol-of-many-delightful-memories to me and told me it was mine. It's faded. A number of beads are missing. The faded cloth is showing in parts. But it was mine. As was all the memories. I am so, so thankful, even to today.

Yes, I found my bags, all three of them.

But the other two will never be as special as this one….

Thanks Mom

Time Flies

It's amazing how time flies. In a twinkling of an eye, Christmas is over. The New Year is fast approaching.
The entire year has gone by super fast.

I don't even have time to do a short writeup of thanksgiving Haha!

But am so glad that the whole family is back together. Here's a rare shot of us all.... together with my parents. It's been an incredibly full year. With much to thank God for......

She Remembers

It was fun today.

Arrow #3 spoke up while in the car, on the way to lunch. She suddenly remembered parts of her time in the house where she was born and spent the first few years of her life.

The floor (parquet upstairs, tiles downstairs) - was it because she spent time crawling on them? She learned to crawl under the chairs there, chasing after her brother and the hamster!

The waiting at the bay window waving to me as I left for work. She would sit there for a while longer after I left.... sigh....

The wooden table where she drew chalk marks to play games on. The favourite game was a local one called chongkak. Hmmmm how come she's not that good with maths?

The dancing while her brothers played nutty songs on the piano and keyboard. That explains her love for dance!

The time one of her brothers had a birthday party and we dressed up to do the Good Samaritan and told the story. The part of being the robbers excited the over excited boys!

She loved her room, and I'm sure it's because she had a queen sized bed all to herself. Initially she didn't like the big bed so we covered half of it with stuffed toys and lots of dolls to keep her company.

Memories.... ahhhh. Nice. I am glad we created memories for the children. This was a precious short 15 minute drive time.

Super precious because her grandparents were in the car with us!

Fun

It's fun when you can laugh together.

I enjoy that with my children.

Like the time I taught them the best way to get rid of hiccups was by being tickled. We had fun there.... and yes, I still contend that this IS the best way!

Or the time we created fantasy worlds with blankets and cardboard boxes.

How about when we would all jump on the American King Sized bed and have a tickle-wrestle-mummy-always-wins time.

Yeah, it's good to be able to laugh together.

And the latest?

Facebooking across the miles over my second Arrow's birthday, set off by zany posting by Arrow #1

Thank you Lord for the fun!

A Taste of England

Scones.

With whipped cream.

And a dollop of strawberry jam.

Absolutely wicked.
And these are the digits of the chef who made this scrumptious meal one evening.

The scone was truly reminiscent of England! Thanks E!

New Old Friends

One of the nicest things about having had my parents over is this - the making of new friends. And yet not so new...
They found out that there were links, not only because of friendship of their offsprings, but also through other relatives. Then there were also links because they had common topics and had mutual friends and acquaintances. They got on really well!

Packing a Punch

Man years ago, when in England, I went for a friend's birthday party. My housemates and I walked there and by the time I got there, I was pretty thirsty. So I grabbed a drink. It was the first time I tried this drink named Punch. It was very nice. So after I'd gulped it down, I asked for a second glass.

What I didn't know was that there was alcohol in the mixed drink.

Worse, in between the two drinks, another so-called friend had slipped in with more additives - the tasteless spirit called vodka.

Put that together with an empty stomach, you can imagine what happened next.

I vaguely remember walking home, trying to walk on the pavement and missing. Thank God for good friends.

But it didn't end there.

The next day I was rostered to go to work on the afternoon shift. I must have looked a right mess because when I got there, the ward sister (I was a student then) took one look at me and sent me to the Accident and Emergency Department to get treatment. She was convinced that I had measles!

There, once the truth was known, I was given anti-histamine and THREE DAYS leave by the doctors and nurses who made their sentiments known about this naive Asian girl!

Folks, I found I was allergic to the stuff. A good reason to be teetotal!

Saving Yourself, Saving Others

Many years ago, when my own father was a lad, his friends threw him into a disused mining pool. They weren't being malicious. Just playful.

He had told them that he didn't know how to swim.

In typical exuberance of youth, they didn't believe him.

And decided to test their theory using one of the then many pools in my home town.

Alas, if you knew my dad, you would know he doesn't tell lies. Especially on matters such as this.

He nearly drowned.

We are so glad he didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't be here today.

Years later after that, my own sister nearly drowned.

I still remember the day. My cousins were in town. We all went for a dip at the local pool. I barely knew how to swim then, but as the oldest, I felt responsible nonetheless.

At one point, I suddenly missed my sister's bright lemon yellow swimsuit. Looking around, I could not see her at her usual spot near the steps. So I went up to the adults to see if she had got up without letting me know. Six years separated us. She was only a toddler then.

When I got to the adults and asked if she had come out of the water, they all said, "Noooo". Then I saw my dad move. Like never before. I knew he could move fast - he could outrun men younger than he.

He got up super quick and made a beeline to the pool. Without missing a beat, he VAULTED over the fence, plunging in feet first! As a trained lifesaver (following his bad experience), he knew time was of essence.

There was my sister, head bobbing above water. Paddling away with her hands and feet, almost vertical. She had been knocked off from the steps by a rogue wave.

And the lifesaver on duty thought that she was a particularly clever girl who knew how to swim... and left her to it.

Subsequently, I learned to swim well, as did all my siblings. We all represented the state.

I went on to take up life saving and got my distinction award.

My children learn to swim too.

Better safe than sorry.

Arrow #3

Did you have an eventful pregnancy? Or labour? With all three of my offspring, something happened. Take my third arrow for instance.

Early in my pregnancy, I woke in the wee hours of the night and found the bedsheets and bolster soaked in blood. (No, I am not exaggerating; there was that much blood.)

As I lay in bed, momentarily shocked by the discovery, I sent a prayer-thought up to God. I asked Him, "I thought You told me that I was supposed to have this baby. What's going on here?" (Someone who prayed for me on March 13 2004 had said that I would have fruit from the womb - not miscarriage!)

I didn't immediately get an answer.

My midwifery training switched on and I went on auto. I decided that I needed to change into clean clothes. Entering the bathroom to wipe myself down, I felt an urge to go to toilet. Even as I sat down, my maternal instincts screamed, "You are going to miscarry the baby!" I could feel something coming out.

Again, my training took over. I gathered the clot that I passed. Somewhat shaken at handling the almost hand-size clot, I then slowly and gently looked through it. Macabre? I had to see if there was any sign of my baby.

I couldn't find anything. The negative thoughts came that my pregnancy was too early to see anything. I dismissed it. I did not want to linger on such thoughts.

Finishing what I had to do in the bathroom, I went back to bed. Hubby had changed the sheets. I told him what happened, and we prayed.

Finally such peace descended upon us at around 4am and we drifted to sleep.We felt somehow assured that the baby was fine.

Later we went to the doctor's clinic. There, we saw the ultrasound scan screen showing her still fine.

What the devil had intended to steal and kill and destroy, the Lord had intended for life.

On Leaving Home

I left home when I was seventeen. I don't remember much preparations on my part to travel half way round the world to a land called England.

I do remember having to transit in Singapore. However I was still crying by the time I landed there from Kuala Lumpur. I recall barely knowing where to go.

A stranger (perhaps an angel in disguise?) asked where I was heading. Upon discovering I was heading for England, he (yeah a MALE stranger and I trusted him!) he led me, out of his way, to the right direction. Thus, somehow I made my way to England.

I stayed for a few days with my aunt and family. Life was different. I didn't know that you didn't have to look through the rice to pick out the husks - there wasn't any. I didn't know the meat would be nicely prepacked - and that chicken bones for soup were so cheap. I remember going to the butcher and getting pig's tail for soup at tuppence... until the butcher realised that all his Chinese-Asian customers were after his pig's tails!

So many stories about my leaving for work and study far from home.

But I know my children would not be so interested in them - yet. So I now need to prepare their leaving home in a different way. Practical ways like making sure they have accommodation, getting them a rice cooker (a Chinese must!), and other such survival essentials!

"Leaving home for further studies will either make or break you," someone once said. I think that is so true.

Making Memories

Do you make memories with your children?

There was a time when every Sunday we would take the children to the beach. Other families would be there. The children would kick a football around. The dads would (supposedly) go for jogs. Moms had the job of keeping an eye on the things and took the opportunity to chat.

Another things we did as a family was to have one Sunday meal at special "Children's Choice" places. Even though it was inevitably the fast food joints, we would let them choose and try to make a nice time of it.

Of late, we have also been inviting folks round for Sunday dinner cooked at home. Friends could be from all walks of life, different ages and backgrounds. Very often we would "mix them up"!

I wonder if my children will have memories of these times when they grow older....

Approach to Food

As a baby, one was particular about food. Another was more easygoing. The third ate everything.

Here they are when the youngest was only 4 months old and gnawing on a chicken bone! Amazingly her constitution was strong and I had no sleepless nights from her incredible diet.
I would get a little concerned about the fact that some seemed to be fussy with food - was I under-nourishing them? As a former nurse I would fret.

Now that they are older, I realise that I need not have worried so much. As long as they didn't have too sweet a tooth, their diet turned out reasonable. Now they have a much wider range of taste AND they are fit and healthy! Phew! It took me almost 20 years to discover this truth!

For Comfort

One would fall asleep twirling a string. It would most likely be the string from the bolster. The string would get tangled up among the toes. Funny way to sleep. I still remember being asked bashingly to untangle a knot when you were younger.

Another would hold a hand or better still, an elbow to sleep. It sometimes shocked the person next to you when your little hand would sleepily reach out and almost tickle as you felt for the bit of comfort. Another funny habit but fun too.

Then there is the one who had to have something soft and that sort of feel. Certain pieces of cloth would do, and not others. Just to feel the material between your fingers was enough to send you to sleep....

Funnily two out of three sought comfort using their fingers. One used the toes!

I wonder whether there are others out there?

Treatment for Allergies

Many years ago, when we were in England, we had doctor friends with whom we were close. So close, that after our badminton games, we would go to the men's and women's showers respectively and shower in the communal areas there... yeah, I could see her all and vice-versa! (You can read more about it at Personality Discovery).

But that's not what this post is about.

You see, these friends of ours had two sons. The younger of the two was severely allergic to peanuts. The slightest touch would set him off. One day, when he was just learning to walk, he toddled over to where his mother and brother were. As he neared the table, he began to lose his balance. So he reached out and grabbed the table.... right at the spot where a smear of peanut butter was.

Suffice to say that it was good that his mother was a doctor and reasonably unflappable. She had antihistamine in him quickly and saved his life.

I am posting about this because of recent news concerning treatment of such allergies. I hope they succeed....

Learning to Love

When I delivered my second Arrow, Arrow #1 was still asleep at home, in the care of my mother-in-law.

He was most upset when he woke and found me missing.

Later, when his Dad brought him to visit his new brother and me, he refused to sit next to me. It was as if he was silently angry with me but didn't know how to express it. He was bewildered. What 21-month old child wouldn't be?

Thankfully, a friend had given us a tip to encourage the bonding of young children with their newborn sibling.

Get the toddler a huge boxed gift, colourfully wrapped and beautifully decorated. It should be something the child would like, price irrelevant. Then, she said, present the gift to the Tai Kor (Chinese for big brother, and I don't mean the show!). When giving the present, explain that this came from the new baby, and was specially for him.

So we did.

Initially he was still silent. His eyes shifted between me, his baby brother, and the box which we placed on his lap, holding it there for him.

Then he reached out for the gaily wrapped package.

Gently, I helped him open the layers. It was one of those magnetic write-on-wipe-off toys.

He was hooked.

Moving across, he sat next to me and played happily with it. Still hardly saying a word.

Since then, they have spent more than seventeen years of their life together, sixteen of which were in the same room. Great friends and great brothers. I love watching them play and laugh together....