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Wednesday 23 June 2010

An Email from my Uncle

I've been thinking about my late grandma lately and I thought I'd share an email I received from my uncle a few days after she left us all. It's quite a beautiful letter (email), the ways he described his mother (my late grandma), and it teaches me to value the people around me, cherishing every moment spent with them. I should have posted this on the last 'Mother's Day'. Never mind. Everyday is a mother's day, am I right? :D They should be appreciated, remembered and treasured every single day, every hour, every minute, every second, every moment. .


My Dearest Sarah,

thanks for your email, it did cheer me up. :)

You know, i have always told my friends that my mother is so special because she may not understand anything but she understands everything.
They find this amusing..

See, Nek Wan might not be well-educated and she didn't understand a lot of things around her- how to operate the cable, how to use the mobile, even how to tune the radio.
She came to Singapore with Tok Wan only with her courage and determination. But miraculously with Allah's guidance, she was able to raise 6 children in the most unfamiliar environment, and by God, she raised each and everyone of her children well, with good education - duniawi and ukhrawi. This, despite all the odds- a feat not many women can take on these days.

I thought about it and i concluded that your arwah Nek Wan was so special. She had the gift of understanding her children and giving them the tools they need most for the soul. She might not be able to help us with our algebra homework or English assignment, but she was able to give us the determination, persistence and courage to live life to the fullest. She equipped us with lessons you will never be able to find in the classroom. She had the incomparable ability to adept to circumstances and make the best out of the situation. She didn't let anything or anyone bring her or her family down with her weaknesses, rather she mustered every strand of strength she had in her to trudge on. Until today, when i feel weak and troubled, i think of what Nek Wan would do if she is caught in the same situation and from there, i always find strength.

When I was down and felt that the whole world was against me, I just needed to go back home to her. She was able to discern every sorrow in me, even without me telling her, and she never failed to heal every single one of my wounds.
At night, she would sit and watch all the English programmes on TV with me even though she couldn't understand a word! But at the corner of my eye, I always caught her not watching the TV but rather looking at me, and i could feel the warmth of her smile and every word of the doa she sent to Allah for me.
Every day when i went to work, she would sit at the sofa and bid me farewell, and her sight never left me until i turn the corner at the staircase. I knew she was praying for me and my safety. I knew she was aware, the day will come she will not be able to see me off work anymore and prayed Allah will still be with me for always...

I miss Nek Wan so so much, and i pray i will be able to see he again soon. You are right, she would most likely want me to keep praying for her, and stop mourning, and one day InsyaAllah, we will see Nek Wan and Tok Wan again. Till then i just wish i have half her strength to go through the rest of my life without her. Even to the day she passed on, your Nek Wan was one strong lady. 

I've never felt so loved and cared for, and i guess that's the magic that mothers have. You still have yours. Cherish every single moment you have with your parents ok, and make every moment matter. Always remind Mak and Abah how much you love and appreciate them.

Keep in touch, all the best for your results and may Allah be with you always.
Whenever you remember Nek Wan, sedekah Fatehah ok?

Lots of Love,
Busu
May Allah bless her soul. Al-Fatihah.

6 comments:

hazirah said...

meleleh!huhu,

Sarah said...

Apa yang meleleh? Hahahaha.

Anonymous said...

"it teaches me to value the important people around me, cherishing every moment spent with them."

It should not just be people 'important' to you. There is a reason why Allah put people in our lives and sometimes, we can be so blinded with the word 'important' that we segregate people into 'important' and 'unimportant', the latter usually non-related or could not value our lives (anymore).

The true spirit of cherish people is to acknowledge that people did once come into our lives and made a difference, even for a day or two. It is itself a miracle.

We are close to our families and naturally we choose be see them more 'important', However, if you take some time and look around you, and look around the 'unimportant' people Allah put in your life, you will find that everyone has a part to play, and some may give you beautiful moments you may never have, if not for their existence.

I am sure the inspiration of your honourable Grandmother is more than treating our families well. From the email, she has chosen to live her life for others, for their happiness, their growth and a future which she had sighted. This is the fundamental of being someone who cherishes and embraces the gift of people in our life by Allah.

Look around, further beyond our family. We will find people who will treat us just like our family, and these people are not related to us. And this, makes them even more deserving of our thoughts, care and for us to choose to embrace them.

Remember to live by what inspires you, and never choose to be kind to some and not others based on our definition of importance. This deflates the strength and value of the memories given to you.

May you be inspired by the wonderful things left in your memories to be a better person.

Sarah said...

Thanks for your comment. :)

Yes, I do not take other 'unimportant' people for granted.And I've never ever regarded them as unimportant, as you claimed so.

Besides my family and relatives, those other people, friends, acquaintances, online buddies, basically everyone that ever existed in my life are important.
They make up my life. And they do play important roles in my life, formally or informally. Even my Indonesian maid is one of the most important people in my life. The same goes with the fishermen, cleaners and all. We really couldn't survive without them in this world and I never ever looked down on them. Rather, I respect them for doing jobs that no ordinary people would want to do. EH, out of topic, I guess. :P

And thus, I will never ever segregate them into the important and unimportant groups. They are all important. But rather, I would regroup them into the most important and the least important.
It's quite the same as how you regroup your friends. Ordinary friends, close friends, good friends, best friends. :)

But of course for now, my family is the most important people in my life.

And thanks for the doa. Insya-Allah. Amin.

Anonymous said...

I agree fully with you, family is the core of our lives and are all most important in our lives, but this importance does not shadow and make others less important or to more extreme dispensable.

The need to love our family more must not equate to the need to reduce the love for others in order to do so.

Share something with you before I close:

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

May life be blissful and happy for you.

Sarah said...

Again, thanks for the comment. I really appreciate your thoughts. :D

That's what I'm going to do now. I shall love my family more and also try to love others the best that I can.

I do hope that I will continue loving them and the love I have towards them will never diminish.

I will try my best to maintain the good relationships I have with them. Or even, increase the love I have towards them in each passing moment.

You are right. And that's a nice quote you have there. I shall try to bring happiness to everyone whom I know and those who know me.

May you be blessed too, always.