... so good to reach the big six-O

Reaching sixty meant several birthday cakes and celebrations. Started with celebrating with the Chan family at home with a cake baked by Michelle. Followed by dinner with the core group and then another with the ex-IFS/Infor friends.

Feeling wonderfully blessed to have great friends and family to celebrate with.

Six decades of life - half of them spent with Connie - my lovely life companion, friend, travel partner, , mother of my children, wife and confidant! Life has indeed been good to me. As I have always stated ... 死而无憾 (hee hee... not bad for a RI boy who failed his chinese at O level)

... so good to celebrate National Day together and to remember Dad

We celebrated National Day as a family (LF, LY and our spouses) at my place. But more so ...

10th August is a memorable day for us ... it is the day that Dad passed away 33 years ago... exactly one month after our wedding. It came as a shock as he was in good health. He was on his way to work as usual and (we heard) that he felt unwell, sat down to drink from his bottle of tea and then just collapsed on the road side. It was the first time in our lives that we had to deal with death in a real way ... when we went down to the police station to identify his personal belonging we were shell shocked! And when we were at the mortuary to identify his remains, we were still unsure what had happened.

We were traumatized by the suddenness of his passing away but on hindsight we are glad that he did not suffer long with sickness or be in hospital for an extended period of time. 

Dad was a good provider and worked till his last day. He cared and loved us though he never verbalized it. His way of caring was to provide for us. Thus it was a struggle to cope with the funeral arrangements. Dad had not accepted Christ and we had to have a traditional Chinese funeral but as Christians we did not want to participate in some of the rituals which involved ancestor worship yet we wanted to show him the respect due to him as our father. I had to take the lead as the Christian male in the family. It was an extremely stressful period ... glad that Connie was by my side and supported me.

Some 33 years later - I am now in his position - being a father-in-law, provided for my own sons and soon to be a grand father; I am filled with gratitude for his care, provision and love but more so I understand his feeling of pride in seeing our off spring mature and establish their own family and the loss of knowing that our son will soon have his family as priority!

But to sum it all,  it is so good that the Lord has blessed us with so much - health, our daily bread and our family and friends!