(recycled pic) No birthday cake. No candles. No family members to celebrate and share the joy. Yet, it was such a wonderful 7-11 day.
It started with a birthday story.
Before the church service started, sister-in-law shared with me some family problems.
Among the stories was a birthday story. She could not get over my brother’s sharing in a senior church fellowship that he had not had birthdays celebrated for many years. To sister-in-law, my brother did not give her face by publicly sharing that she had not celebrated his birthdays and what’s more, she was also present at the fellowship!
I am not a good advisor, but I can boast that I am always a good listener.
She was settled with my reasoning that it was good that brother shared. She has opportunities to celebrate his birthdays in the years to come!
I was actually very amazed to go back to my childhood memories of my birthdays through this sharing. My brother in stressing his point of how much birthday celebrations meant to him shared that his birthdays was the birthdays of the first five of our brothers and sisters! My mum gave her first five children birthday meals on my brother’s birthdays. And of course, the real birthday person had the drumsticks!
Mum had been so tactful that while big brother still felt treasured and special, none of the other four children felt deprived of love care and attention or unfair treatment of parents as they grew up. I was number five.
How did mum do that? I don’t know. But, I thanked my mum for teaching us well.
The worship service started. I felt special because the preacher shared on “A life without regret”. A life without regret is a life lived to the vision and mission of God, the Creator. A life without regret is a life entrusted in the hands of God whose hands are bigger than ours. A life without regret is leaving a legacy for people to follow.
How befitting for a birthday person? As I left the church, these two questions were in my mind –
What does your life tell?
What do others see in your life?
My brother, sister-in-law, their daughter-in-law and two grandchildren landed at our usual coffee shop for brunch after the service.
I was silent about my birthday because I thought brother was still bitter about the missing birthdays. But I went round the coffee shop to see if I could find a stall selling Foochow “Meesua” – traditional food of birthdays for Foochows. I did not find one.
I was so engrossed to look around that I could have stood too near to a table of an old couple. The old man pushed my borrom and started with all the curse words. I apologized right away, while I was sure that I was not so near as having “touched” him. As I sat down next to him, the old man had not stopped his scoldings.
I sympathized with him – probably one of his bad days. I thanked mum who had always shown a lot of kindness to others even when being wrongly accused.
Back to my apartment, I cooked meesua with chicken soup and egg. There, my birthday! Who say you can’t have birthday alone and still count the blessings?
The blessings came in SMSes, messages on facebook and emails.
It did not end there! My best friend, Sandra came at 7:30 pm and brought me out for a western food dinner!
There, the two women shared and laughed the night away!
I remember the wisdom of my mum in these words – mothers can do many things, but one thing she can’t possibly do, that is making friends and giving them to you as friends. You have to be a friend and make your own friends!
It started with a birthday story.
Before the church service started, sister-in-law shared with me some family problems.
Among the stories was a birthday story. She could not get over my brother’s sharing in a senior church fellowship that he had not had birthdays celebrated for many years. To sister-in-law, my brother did not give her face by publicly sharing that she had not celebrated his birthdays and what’s more, she was also present at the fellowship!
I am not a good advisor, but I can boast that I am always a good listener.
She was settled with my reasoning that it was good that brother shared. She has opportunities to celebrate his birthdays in the years to come!
I was actually very amazed to go back to my childhood memories of my birthdays through this sharing. My brother in stressing his point of how much birthday celebrations meant to him shared that his birthdays was the birthdays of the first five of our brothers and sisters! My mum gave her first five children birthday meals on my brother’s birthdays. And of course, the real birthday person had the drumsticks!
Mum had been so tactful that while big brother still felt treasured and special, none of the other four children felt deprived of love care and attention or unfair treatment of parents as they grew up. I was number five.
How did mum do that? I don’t know. But, I thanked my mum for teaching us well.
The worship service started. I felt special because the preacher shared on “A life without regret”. A life without regret is a life lived to the vision and mission of God, the Creator. A life without regret is a life entrusted in the hands of God whose hands are bigger than ours. A life without regret is leaving a legacy for people to follow.
How befitting for a birthday person? As I left the church, these two questions were in my mind –
What does your life tell?
What do others see in your life?
My brother, sister-in-law, their daughter-in-law and two grandchildren landed at our usual coffee shop for brunch after the service.
I was silent about my birthday because I thought brother was still bitter about the missing birthdays. But I went round the coffee shop to see if I could find a stall selling Foochow “Meesua” – traditional food of birthdays for Foochows. I did not find one.
I was so engrossed to look around that I could have stood too near to a table of an old couple. The old man pushed my borrom and started with all the curse words. I apologized right away, while I was sure that I was not so near as having “touched” him. As I sat down next to him, the old man had not stopped his scoldings.
I sympathized with him – probably one of his bad days. I thanked mum who had always shown a lot of kindness to others even when being wrongly accused.
Back to my apartment, I cooked meesua with chicken soup and egg. There, my birthday! Who say you can’t have birthday alone and still count the blessings?
The blessings came in SMSes, messages on facebook and emails.It did not end there! My best friend, Sandra came at 7:30 pm and brought me out for a western food dinner!
There, the two women shared and laughed the night away!
I remember the wisdom of my mum in these words – mothers can do many things, but one thing she can’t possibly do, that is making friends and giving them to you as friends. You have to be a friend and make your own friends!
3 comments:
No cake? I thought that was yours and I was going to ask you whether that was Marcus'. Glad you had a great birthday...regardless.
STP, that was Marcus' - but previous birthday! Hey, I very much wanted to air-flown one from Sibu to Kuching!
blessed belated birthday greeting!
mums have done enough than to serve friends on a platter for their kids!!
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