Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts

Monday, 11 April 2022

Teacher

 

Photograph of the primary school students and me at my old home

During the holidays, I was offered relief teaching at the primary school near my home at that time.  It was Boon Lay Garden Primary School.  I was offered to teach the students for a term.  At the end of the term, they wanted to come to my house and we spent some time at home.  It was fun time to be with the children.  

When the holidays ended, I began my studies at National University of Singapore.  I was a part time tutor at night.  Children called me 'teacher'.  After graduation from NUS, I worked at a tuition centre for a few months.  I was happy teaching and love being a teacher at that time.  Later on, I was offered to be a teacher or environmental health officer.  I chose to be a teacher.  However I did not know that I need to take English test to be offered a permanent post.  So I worked for one year at Admiralty Primary School and I was pregnant later, so quitted the job.   

I stopped teaching after having two children to care for, and I tried to take the English proficiency test.  I never get to pass.  Several years later, I tried again.  This time I failed again.  I tried two times and I failed.  I did not want to try any more and I became a homemaker after that...

Six years ago, I saw an advertisement at Facebook, looking for Childcare teacher, and I went for interview.  I got a job and went training to become a Childcare Teacher.  I worked at the Childcare centre for five years and then I decided to quit.  It was quite okay to 'teach' in the childcare centre.  However it was so different as compared to teaching the primary school students.  The working environment and the people I worked with are so different.  

Everyday, the children called me Teacher, principal and teachers also addressed each other as Teacher.  A few days back, as I was taking orders from the shopping centre, crossing the road, I heard a voice saying, "Hey, your teacher!"  I wanted to turn back to see who it was, but I did not.  I was rushing to go deliver the food.  I supposed it must be one of the children in the childcare centres.  

Then I began to think, do I like people to call me 'teacher'?  Probably not now already.  It takes so much to be a great teacher, someone like Jesus.  Imagine Jesus came and ask me to follow him.  I am a disciple of Jesus.  I am not someone great, a divorcee, and it takes so much to be a role model teacher. 

"Who do you say I am?"  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:16-17)

My Sacred Heart Jesus which was blessed by Father Vincent Chee 

 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17)  

Jesus is my master, my teacher.  Follow Jesus if you want to be saved.  

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

100 Days

 

Photograph taken at Church of St Mary of the Angels (5th Sunday of Easter)

Today is 100 days since father died.  We had prayer session for him on the 1 May 2021 at his niche and another mass dedication (mass for the soul) to him on 2 May 2021.  

On 29 April 2021, which was last Thursday, I dreamt of my father.  It was the first time I dreamed of him ever since his death.  The cross with the white and yellow drape reminds me of the dream.  My father was dressed in white shirt, sitting down with some other people in the dream.  First time I dreamed of him dressing in white.  He had talked to me in my dream, an advice, but I cannot remember what it was now.  In the dream, I said I would remember it, but when I woke up, I had forgotten everything.  

  Photograph of my father when he was younger.  

My father loved to eat and one night he came to my brother's dream saying that he wanted to eat chicken drumstick without rice.  My brother went to buy Toto and he won money after that.  I dreamed of him, went to buy 4D, but never win anything.

Friday, 16 April 2021

Door to Heaven

Photograph showing the Risen Christ at Church of St Mary of the Angels

It was not raining.  The sky was bright.  I was going to post about my vaccination yesterday.  Before that, I was reading email.  I came to the bulletin of Church of St Anthony of Padua.  As I was looking at the message below:

 The door to heaven and key to paradise is through the cross

The centrality of the Gospel message is the cross - but fortunately it does not stop there. Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies - death and Satan and won pardon for our sins. His cross is the door to heaven and the key to paradise. The way to glory is through the cross. When the disciples saw the risen Lord they disbelieved for joy! How can death lead to life, the cross to victory? Jesus shows us the way and he gives us the power to overcome sin and despair, and everything else that would stand in the way of his love and truth. Just as the first disciples were commissioned to bring the good news of salvation to all the nations, so, we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. Do you witness the joy of the Gospel to those around you?

Source: www.dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager 

This week is the third week of Easter.  The Scripture in the bulletin is from Luke 24:35-48:

Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Photograph showing my second uncle, died on 28 February 2021

There was a loud thunder just as I was reading the passage Door to Heaven.  The electricity tripped.  Everyone was so surprised.  There was no rain at all.  Until now, the sky was fine, no rain until now.  And no more thunder now as I was typing the post.  

Today is the 81th day my father had passed on.  I myself was 'resurrected', I experienced it.  Is this a sign to tell me that father is really in heaven now?  I am sure he is, for he is such a kind and generous person.  

My second uncle was not so fortunate.  He had a sudden death and died in the ambulance.  There was no last prayer, no anointing of the sick.  His cause of death was coronary artery disease.  I helped him to call a priest to offer him prayer and was able to notify the priest at Church of St Anthony to go there one evening, on the Thursday night.  Our Lord is merciful.  I am sure uncle Anthony will be in heaven too.  

Saturday, 13 March 2021

My Father

 

Today we celebrates my father's 48th day of his passing.  Tomorrow will be 49th day.  My mother cooked his favourite dishes and my brother bought his favourite food to pray to him.  

Many years ago, before Jesus came, I would be scared that I would lost my parents one day.  I always pray for their safety and for them to have a long life.  I am scared that I would not be able to see them anymore should one day they died.  However, after I had experienced 'death' and resurrection myself, I do not fear death anymore.  

It was written in the scripture that Jesus died and resurrected.  And in today's prayer at the columbarium, we had a reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians -- 1Thess 4:13-18 

Believers Who Have Died: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Yes, I experienced it myself on that night of transcendence -- I was not sleeping.  I was closing my eyes.  Then at the point of transcendence, God came.  My room was so filled with white light, so bright until even though I closed my eyes, my eyes could experience light.  (No wonder St Paul's/Saul's eyes were blinded by the light of Jesus on the way to Damascus -- Acts 9:1-19 , for me I was so scared, I do not dare to open my eyes.)  There were 3 flashes of light, and various sound I heard later on on both ears -- birds, dogs and wolves.  After that it was victory at last with the blowing of the trumpet sound.  It was dawn by then.  Beside me was Richard, all asleep the whole while. 

And my father often mention the words "Hock Wack" meaning Jesus 复活。  So I believe my father will be resurrected too.  


This is a picture of me and my father.  I must thank my sister for being the photographers for families events.  Without her, I would have no memoir to keep.  I must also thank my father for supporting me, paying all the education fees for my studies.  And yet I had not repay him...