This too shall pass

I don't remember when was the first time I encountered this proverb. Maybe when I was young and was struggling to acquire English as a second or third language. Somehow it stuck. And many a time, it gives me consolation. The time when I felt sad because I didn't do very well in my exam, or the time when I had a difficult stage in friendship and relationship, or when somebody upset me so much to the point of crying. I'd recite the words like a mantra, and true enough, the bad time would pass.

I hang on to the words again, as I endure a stage of discomfort in my present life. 13 days post-operation. Comfortable enough to read, do some computer work and prepare light meal, but still unable to walk as fast as I would rather walk. And still dreaming of doing Latin dance (my form of exercise) every Friday with colleagues of same hobby. It will be months before I can do that again.

This too shall pass...I am saying this with a big smile on my face. (and will fake the smile till it becomes real!)

"Has my Dad gone back to work"?

He finally understood that Dad is working far away for quite a long time. Upon coming home from school yesterday my little boy asked my brother, "has my Dad gone back to work?", and nodded his acknowledgement when he heard the answer "yes".

In the bedroom at night he said to me again that somebody's Dad in his class is also working in KL. So "it's ok that my Dad is also working there", he stoically said. But he's going to pray that Dad will get a transfer to KK soon. I smiled. Just a few weeks ago, he stubbornly refused to pray for his Dad's transfer. He cheekily thought that no Dad at home means freedom. No one will be strict to him (well, Mom yells sometimes but Mom is soooo not scary). But a full month without Dad must have made him change his mind. It turned out to be not so fun after all...especially because when Dad is around the family gets to do more fun stuffs, like stay in a hotel. And he doesn't have an ally when the girls do girly things with Mom.

My little boy decides that he'll pray for Dad's speedy return. After all, God listens to little kids' prayers, doesn't He? :-)

My life is not THAT difficult

Difficulties come in many forms. One of them is being a 'single-parent' struggling to raise three children under 12 years old, like yours truly. Waking up at 5am (5.10, counting snooze time) to prepare breakfast for them, making sure everyone is ready to leave for school by 6.20, going to work, rushing off at lunch-time to pick the children up from school, back to work for 2 hours, going back home to send one of them to tuition, then back to the office for another 2 hours before calling it a day is certainly no fun. By the time everyone is in bed at 9.30pm, I feel so drained of energy that I hardly have any left to do the housework. But my life is not that difficult; I have help from my extended family, I can afford to pamper myself on a regular basis, and I have my children with me.

If anything, it makes me appreciate my family more. I do wonder why is it that hubby has to be posted some 1,624km away, which is 2.5 hr flight from home. I do wonder why it takes such a long time for the powers that be to find him a post here, despite our appeals. Being a believer that everything happens for a reason though, I keep reminding myself to have faith. My life is not that difficult, except for the times when loneliness hits hard and I miss him so much. At least, I keep reminding myself, I am blessed with a generous and caring extended family. Never once did anyone of them let me down. My call for help is always immediately answered. One of them, brother, mom or dad is always around to help me cook for the children every day.

I make sure that I pamper myself on a regular basis, at least a massage once every forthnight. It is quite costly but I have to do something to make myself feel good, as only when I feel good about myself will I be able to carry out all my duties with love.

My life is not that difficult. I have healthy children, despite their hyper-activeness. It's true that their constant demands leave me worn out most of the time, but at the end of the day, I always end up feeling grateful. I have them around me still. They haven't left the nest, thank god they are too young for that. When I look at their faces sleeping peacefully at night, I thank God, for I am blessed.

Well, at times when I feel so tired I wish hubby is the one having to go through all these. I even wonder if he does appreciate me more for doing this (which I think he does). I know it is tougher on him, as he doesn't have his loved ones with him. My life is not THAT difficult after all...

There is a purpose behind every incident

I opened my email this morning and saw this one. I thought it is a good reminder for all especially myself that I decided to keep it in my blog:


~The ' L I T T L E ' Things~

As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11
Because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was
His turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
Alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
Because of an auto accident.

One of them
Missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
Time to change.

One's
Car wouldn't start.

One couldn't
Get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man
Who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
Took the various means to get to work
But before he got there, he developed
A blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today..


Now when I am
Stuck in traffic,
Miss an elevator,
Turn back to answer a ringing telephone...

All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
This is exactly where
God wants me to be
At this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be
Going wrong,
The children are slow getting dressed,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that
God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you
With all those annoying little things
And may you remember their possible purpose.

Indeed, there is a purpose behind every incident.

...where there seems to be no way

Everything happens for a reason. You just have to keep believing...

Time is His

I'd expect this words to be written by someone who truly believes in God :-) Yes, I am one such person. (I understand that not everyone does and I respect their rights not to though). Believing in God, to me, is something very personal. It might be something one learns from one's religion, but most of all, it is something that accumulates through the years, from one's life experiences. Perhaps it's a gift...who knows.

Anyway, a very dear friend wrote the phrase in an email to me not so long ago. That, after I whined to her about how slow my plans are to materialize. About how many times my plans have gone off at a tangent, and about how out of control do I feel about my life at present. What an apt reminder. It got me reflecting, and accepting.

We don't plan our birth or death- those must be the biggest evidence that time is His. We can only try our best at achieving our goals. Whether or not we manage to do it on time, i.e our time, we can't really tell. But believing that time is His helps in overcoming the frustration should the worst happen...