If there is anything successful in my life so far, I'd have to say its the luck of being borne into this family of mine. I have always known that I was lucky but I guess it takes certain amount of experience achieved in life to truly appreciate the blessing at its fullest.
And here I am at the dawn of 25 years of age, an aunt of four - I fully see how blessed I am. (Or since I have always known I was blessed, should i say, I finally noticed the extent of the blessing?)
Having touched down in Malaysia since Melbourne, my parents have been nothing but parental.
I have never really thought of the exact word to describe my parents. So i googled them. A parent (from Latin: parēns = parent) is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species.
But my parents are so much more than just my caretaker. Mom went to
extreme lengths to cook my favourite dishes, use her personal money to buy me everything and literally almost anything that I could possibly want.
Dad anxiously drove me to all the necessary places to get my own stuff organized for my return to Melby. He even woke up at 5.30am when I told him I wanted to leave the house at 7.15am. Hahah, thats my dad for you.
Ah, but my parents.... If i were to blog about how great they were, people usually would roll their eyes and say "Ah its only natural that every kid would always think that their parents are the best", well they are certainly not wrong. But then again...I am no longer a 6 year old who worships her dad and thinks that he is a superhero who can do no wrong. Neither am I a clingy child who needs her mommy's approval at every step (eh...funnily enough, maybe I still do). But thats besides the point.
Nearing the age of twenty five - I can very visibly see the flaws of my parents. Mommy's lack of knowledge in the scientific world (makes her ridiculously cute though) but horribly attached to old wives tales. Mommy's extreme lack of patience in certain things. Mommy's naive and almost childlike demeanors which can pose as a very annoying factor whenever she demands something to be done from you. Daddy's ridiculous abidance to his golden principles of life (which may not be the solution to every problem but to him, its the solution). Daddy's weird mood swings from time to time. Daddy's cut and dried mould of ways to do things and how-things-should-always-be-done.
No, my parents are not perfect and they are flawed, at times horribly so! But incredibly enough, I now can see their flaws and think how cute they are because in my eyes, I only see a perfect pair of parents. Because in their weird ways of being different yet so alike at the same time has taught me many valuable lessons in life.
When I think back in time, I used to be a little girl who adored her parents. And then i moved to a stage of being a teenager who adored them just a little less because they were just-so-naggy.... and I became older and thought hey my parents are just so damn cool because they don't confine me conventional rules as my other counterparts had to live through. And here I am. I think I adore them even more than I ever used to be, back when I was a little girl. I am surprised because when I reflect upon my life, I doubt I have ever transited through a rebellious stage as my peers have told me about.
Daddy was my #1 hero and he still is. Mommy would always be the person I'd have to run to from catfights to determining if a pair of jeans I tried in the dressing room made me look fat.
But no, this is not the point where I finally noticed the extent of my blessing.
Having arrived at Singapore, the sisters spring cleaned the house in anticipation. Eagerly stuffed money into my hands so I can spend it at my heart's desire, cooked my favourite dishes and bought me to fulfill every whim I wanted from Singapore. (yes, I have always been pampered at home)
But no, that was not the point where I felt truly blessed, either.
Where I felt truly blessed lies in a very simple conversation I had with my niece, Megan.
It was late at night, nearly 9 oclock, her bed time. My sis was putting Ivan to bed and there was no bread at home for their breakfast tomorrow morning.
Bro-in law was in Cambodia for business. So that leaves me and my darling Megan. My sis entrusted her with a few coins and ushered us out to buy bread for the next day. Although I was taking her hands in mine, for the very first time, I was following Megan and depending on her to bring me where it was required for us to buy bread.
For the very first time too, she told me to watch my step because of a broken plank while crossing the road. She bought me to the place that sold bread. And for the very first time in my life, I bought bread from a bread-vending machine. LOL! For the very first time, she counted the coins in her hands and showed them to me. "$1.90 cents, yeechai. Check if i am right" she said.
I counted them. And of course she was right. Her maths is probably better than mine! LoL. I saw her put the coins into the machine but it was ridiculous but i felt such a sense of pride because I was looking at her. Growing more and more into a lanky teenager, wearing her geeky spectacles and outgrowing her milk teeth into gruesome buckteeth! - but I also saw the cute baby and toddler that she was. My precious baby niece is really growing up. I missed so much in between by just being gone for a year. And now I returned to find her reading like a speed demon, writing short stories of her own and drawing beautiful pictures, swimming without floats, rollerblading and ice skating and playing the piano. My goodness, my niece is so accomplished in comparison to me!
But no, this is not the point where I felt the extent of my blessing.
The part came when she pushed the numbers for the loaf of white bread. And I took the loaf from her hands and said "Lets go". She stopped and stared at the machine, pointing to a chocolate bun. I told her "Well if you have enough coins, you may buy one" thinking that she wanted it. She counted the remainder of the coins in her hands and told me "Yes i do, its just 70cents, what."
So i told her, thinking like a dutiful aunt "But you can only eat this tomorrow for breakfast, allright?"
She told me, "Oh no, its not for me... It's for Ivan. He loves this chocolate bun!"
And that, that was the pinnacle where I felt the extent of my blessing.
"For Ivan?" I asked. "What about you? Don't you want one too?"
"No, I don't need one. Ivan loves it, though." was her reply.
For all the things that I've ever done, to be there having that conversation with her, was actually the point where I felt the full extent of my blessing. Megan was not a baby anymore, shes grown up and whats more, shes grown into a loving and caring sister. Someone that I'd expect to be growing up from the care of my own sister. And she certainly did not disappoint me.
I went back and the next morning while the kids were at school, I relayed the conversation to my sister. Small as it was an event, it made me feel like the happiest aunt on earth. I don't know why, but i was ridiculously proud. And my sis actually relayed a better story to me. She told me that once Megan was invited to a glam birthday party of one of her school friends. And at the party, each child could make a teddy bear (Yes, its those expensive teddies that you get to custom make) and take home with them as a souvenir! Instead of making a teddy for herself, she made a custom made karate-teddy bear for her brother.
Whatever it is in my life? I'm surely a blessed person to be gifted with such a family. I truly felt the extent of my blessing because now i can fully see the reaches of my family. From the love that came from my parents, I see it flowing to their children. To my sisters, and to me.
And I see that same love, nurturing us into the people that we are. And from that same stem, I see the same love nurturing my nieces and nephews. And I finally saw the first blooms of that love, reflected in my 8 year old niece for her brother.
What I ever did to deserve this family, I will never know.
But the Lord knows that I could never find a more wholesome, picture perfect family.
