A Malaysia Dream Lim Kit Siang #1-4

Treasure your parents before its too late

The time is now

It is better to give them a little now than to give them the world when they are gone

The world is full of sons and daughters like you and me

I had a marvelous mother, who loved me,
Sacrificed for me and helped me in every way possible.

In all of my growing up from childhood through
School and eventually marriage,
My mother was always at my side.

And when I needed help with my little ones, she was there for me.
A few years ago, we buried this wonderful woman.

Can you imagine how I felt when I returned home and
Found poem in her drawer written by my mom.

The time is now

If you are ever going to love

Love me now while I can know

The sweet and tender feelings

Which from true affection flow

Love me now while I am living

Do not wait until I am gone

And then have it chiseled in marble

Sweet words on ice-cold stone

If you have tender thoughts of me

Please let me know now

If you wait until I am sleeping

There will be death between us

And I will not hear you then

So if you love me, even a little bit

Let me know while I am living

So that I can treasure it

Your loving mum

Now she is gone and I am sick with guilt

Because I never told her what she meant to me.

Worse yet, I did not treat her as she deserved to be treated.

I found time for everyone and everything else
But I never made time for her.

It would have been easy to drop in for a cup of tea
And a hug but my friends came first.

Would any of them have done for me what my mother did?
I know the answer.

When I called mom on the phone,
I was always in a hurry.

I feel ashamed when I think of the times I cut her off,

The times I retorted back to her,

The times I glared at her in an angry mood when she wanted to correct me and guide me through the correct path.
I remember too, the times I could have included her in a trip out and did not.

My children loved Grandma from the times they were babies.
They often turn to her for comfort and advice.
She understood them.

I realize now that I was too critical,
Too short-tempered, too stingy with praise.
Grandma gave them unconditional love.

The world is filled with sons, daughters and a child like me.
I hope they see themselves in this letter and realise from it.

If this has touched you, please pass it on to all the sons and Daughters who have to praise their mom for everything they are today.

Reflections

This story highlights that we must do whatever we can when our parents are alive to appreciate what we say or do, however little that may be.

Very often we are willing to spend thousands to give them a grand funeral with the most elaborate preparations and expensive coffins and so on. We are willing have memorials without fail year after year. We give alms in memory of our late parents but we could not afford to spend some time with them when they were with us before their death. We were too busy with our lives.

How much do we treasure our parents? They may not be perfect but it is undeniable that they deserve more than what we are doing for them now.

We may be cruel to them or we may even be criminals but to our parents we are still good children and they continue to justify why have become bad. They blame everybody else for their children being bad except them as they believe their children cannot have gone bad by themselves.

Nobody in the world does that. Many will flock to us when we are in a position to give but none when we are down and out. Our parents are the only ones who will be there with us and for us whether we are good or bad, up or down till their last breaths.

Let us search our hearts to see where we have placed our parents in it. If they are not in our hearts it is time to make a place for them there now. If they already there as in many of us, it is time to give them a little more. Let us not do something or fail to do it that we will regret later as it will be too late.

Tribute to Lim Kit Siang

Tribute to Lim Kit Siang

(70^th Birthday 20 February 2011)

Evert since my childhood I only knew one opposition leader, that is you.

I did not know then why you were called Mr. Opposition but I know now it was your courage to stand up for justice in our society.

I did not understand then why they labeled you a racist and troublemaker but I know now that it is the ‘reward’ righteous people get for their uncompromising stand against injustice and abuse of power

Despite all the forces arrayed against you and even incarcerated in jail with your son you stood firm to your principles, an attribute so rare in politicians today.

Your sacrifices have paid you today where there is hope for realizing your vision for a truly Malaysian nation in the near future, as the flame of liberation that you have ignited will gain intense in the years to come.

All right-thinking Malaysians, regardless of ethnicity, salute a great man like you who had stood steadfast to your principles in the fight for justice through thick and thin all your life.

You did not buckle under pressure from the mighty powers arrayed against you but only got stronger with every blow you received.

You are truly a great Malaysian whose resilience and courage had touched the hearts of all who yearn for justice.

You may be 70 but the nation is at the crossroads and still needs your steering hand

We pray that God bless you with health and strength to lead us in OUR struggles for a just and united Malaysia, A Malaysia where all citizens can live together as equal and proud Malaysians.

Sir, you may not see us physically behind you but be rest assured we will all be there with you at the right time - the 13GE when together we will help to realise the dawn of a new Malaysia.

Happy Birthday and May God Bless you & your family

Lessons in life from an elderly couple

Faithful even in adversity

I had the opportunity to visit an elderly couple recently whom I had not met for many years. The husband, whom I addressed as Uncle Sam, is an elderly gentleman in his eighties but he was physically healthy and fit. His wife is in her late seventies and was paralyzed and blind for many years. She lives confined to her room which she shares with her husband.

We made a prior telephone appointment to visit them and as expected Uncle Sam was eagerly waiting at the gate to greet me and my wife. His action was a lesson on punctuality which is rarely seen these days. I was surprised with the radiant smile on his face which reflected the feelings in his heart. I was in for greater surprise on meeting his wife in her room. Although she could not move out of her chair or see us, she was full of cheer on meeting us. She appeared pleasantly surprised at our presence. Their hospitality even in their times of difficulty was unbelievable and it touched us very much.

We talked for a long time about the past and they readily shared their experiences in their lives with us. They are staunch believers in God but they could not understand why He had to ‘punish’ them with such bitter experiences in their lives, ending up by being lonely and handicapped at this advanced age. Although they could not understand why God has led them to the state they are in today but they contend that He knows what He is doing and that He is always right.

Uncle Sam does everything for his wife, feeding, bathing, attending to her calls of nature and above all keeping her company 24 hours a day without fail, with the aid of a maid who happens to be very wonderful person. He says he is so blessed to have such a caring maid and he is so worried as she will be leaving soon after being with them for seven years. According to the Uncle, his wife looks for him every now and then and he can hardly leave her alone to attend to the household chores.

His ‘job’ demands his full attention day after day throughout the year. There is no such as taking leave to relax and unwind after a hard day’s work like what we do. His greatest fear is what will happen to his handicapped wife if he is suddenly called to the Lord. That fear really makes him shiver with fright and occasionally breaks down and cries. If that happens not all the money and wealth that he may have is going to help her in this cruel world.

It made me reflect on the many foolish things we do in life to accumulate money and wealth much more than we really need. Most of these acts are driven by greed and selfishness in the process we compromise on our principles and lose our compassion for fellow men. We buy huge insurance policies for our spouse and children to make them comfortable when we leave them. But if we end up like these elderly couple, no number of such policies is going to give them the security and reassurance like our own physical presence.

In a world that is driven by greed and lust this elderly couple stand out as a shining example of love and faithfulness between a husband and wife. The husband never complained about having to take care of his disabled wife all by himself. Instead he is taking it in a stride as his sacred duty; he has done it for ten long years and is willing to continue doing so till death does them apart.

Meanwhile his wife despite being bedridden and blind for the past ten years, she is so cheerful and treasures every moment of her life with the man she loves. She is full of praise for her him saying that he never abandons her and never fails to be there when it matters most. She doesn’t curse and swear for the condition she is in but happily accepted it as a ‘blessing’ in disguise from God.

Uncle Sam then gave me his Ten principles for Peace of Mind which were derived from the various bitter experiences in his life of over 80 years.

These are:

1. Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked.

2. Forgive And Forget

3. Do Not Crave For Recognition

4. Do Not Be Jealous

5. Change Yourself According To The Environment

6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured

7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

8. Meditate Regularly

9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant

10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret

After spending about an hour with this fabulous elderly couple we left rather enlightened that there are much more to learn and endure in life. Life is not about making money and enjoying ourselves but to make others happy even if may your own spouse.

The next day I was surprised to receive an E-mail from Uncle Sam which read, “Thank you very much for being a special part of our life” and he attached a beautiful and inspiring poem by the great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore entitled 'My Philosophy in Life' which I enclose below.

'MY Philosophy in Life'

Go not to the temple to put flowers at the feet of God.

First fill your own house with the fragrance of love.

Go not to the temple to light candles at the altar of God

First remove the darkness of sin from your heart

Do not go to the temple to bow down your head in prayer

First learn to bow in humility before your fellow men

Go not to the temple to pray on your bended knee

First bend down to lift someone who is down-trodden

Do not go to the temple to ask for forgiveness for your sins

First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against you

-Rabindranath Tagore-

I do not know whether I can ever emulate this elderly man with regards to his attitude towards his paralyzed and blind wife. I do not know whether I can emulate his wife by being so cheerful under the circumstances like she is in. What I have learnt from them is that I must try as that is what being a human is all about. --

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - a story to ponder

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

A couple were celebrating 50 years together. Their three kids, all very successful, agreed to a Sunday dinner in their honor. "Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad," gushed son number one ....... 'Sorry I'm running late. I had an emergency at the hospital with a patient, you know how it is, and I didn't have time to get you a gift." "Not to worry," said the father. "The important thing is that we're all together today." Son number two arrived and announced, "You and Mom look great, Dad. I just flew in from Los Angeles between depositions and didn't have time to shop for you." "It's nothing," said the father. "We're glad you were able to come." Just then the daughter arrived. "Hello and happy anniversary! I'm sorry, but my boss is sending me out of town and I was really busy packing so I didn't have time to get you anything." After they had finished dessert, the father said, "There's something your mother and I have wanted to tell you for a long time. You see, we were very poor. Despite this, we were able to send each of you to college. Throughout the years your mother and I knew that we loved each other very much, but we just never found the time to get married." The three children gasped and all said, "You mean we're bastards?" "Yep," said the father. "And cheap ones too." Comment A nice story to ponder on what type of children are we to our parents. Isn't it a fact that we will always find the time for someone if we value him/her?.Do we treasure our parents?If so how much? Let's treasure our parents,them some time and be there with them when they need us most. Many will flock to us when we are are in a position to give but none when we are down and out. But our parents they are the only ones who will be there with us and for us we are good or bad,up or down till their last breaths.