Mum’s life was characterized by love. This love is not the one that the world thinks it understands, but one that the bible defines as “patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, never fails”.
Mum gave thanks for all things: from life’s milestones to simple food on the table. Make no mistake, mum loved her food: dumplings, mooncakes, pineapple tarts, egg rolls, fried doughstick, vegetarian noodles, crayfish, mangoes, durians, and jackfruits … just to name a few. Even now, we can just picture the delight on her face and glimmer of the eyes when these foods are placed before her. Yet on many occasions, mum sacrificed her own desires and needs so that we can have more. In this instance, she would eat less so that we could have more of her favourite foods. She would also save that special bottle of pineapple tarts in the fridge during Chinese New Year and pontificated that “thou shalt not consume them” … until we returned to visit her.
Mum was a joyful woman. Perhaps a reason of that perennial joy is that she talked to God continually and gave thanks in all circumstances. She was often found in a quiet corner of her room where she prayed for all of us and for everything that she could think of. She was the only person whom we know would pray for protection against speed cameras on the road. And just in case she forgot something in prayers, she would always end her prayers by claiming God’s promise that He knows our needs even before we tell Him. This was what she would say “若有祷告不足的 地方，主啊 ，求你加添代求” (translated: Lord, if our prayer has neglected any needs, please intercede on our behalf). However, we suspect that her conversations with God did not end after the final Amen.
Mum was a woman of faith. She knew that a key to prayers was to know when to be silent and listen. It was with the same listening ears that she used when we vented our frustrations, anxieties, and fears to her. She listened without judging and prayed. She reminded us to keep praying and cast all our anxieties on Him. We believe that faith in God was what kept her fighting bravely against the illness that ravaged her body. Even then, being on hospital beds was just another opportunity for her to touch and transform the lives of those around her. Just a few months ago, she survived a major operation that removed her legs. When we visited her in the ward, she looked up and smiled at us … and comforted us. She told us not to worry for her, because she accepts and chooses to walk on the path that God has set before her. We have no doubts that right now, she is walking with God on streets of gold (Revelation 21:21) and beside crystal seas (Revelation 4:6) where her eternal rewards are many.
Mum was love personified. And that’s why saying goodbye is so difficult, because the hardest part of love … is letting go. Yet mum’s life has reminded us that there are greater things beyond this life. Her life reminded us that through God, we can fight good fights and complete our own races (2 Timothy 4:7), so that one day … love will bring us together … and never let us go.
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