(..I have taken the liberty of scouring for family pictures of fellow bloggers,
pictures that they posted during Raya and Chinese New Year in their blogs..
.. families that formed the cells that gave identity to the
fabrics of our society..
..as examples of strong and loving families
..as examples of strong and loving families
giving strength and colour to the society that they are part of..
..please forgive me if I transgressed..)
..oldstock and family.. of blog Just observations
..please forgive me if I transgressed..)
..festivals, no matter the race, religion or creed is always about family..and friends...we looked up long, lost relatives, renew ties with old friends and seek out those forgotten..festivals bring out the best in us..through the joviality and laughter, we make rooms in our heart to forgive...our own faults and shortcomings... as we forgive others' faults and failures..
.it is also the time to renew our faith..in God, as we thanked Him for his Bounty and Blessings..in our fellow mankind, no matter what our belief or faith..for we are shareholders, all, on this little speck of dust, this little planet just a few kilometers away from the sun, that we called earth...our home..for we are asked to be charitable..with whatever bounty that God has given us..
..and for Pin, a spinster in her late forties, owner of that little gift shop next to my wife's small hair shop, Chinese New Year is always about family..having no family of her own, her shop is her home..where she stays with her invalid father..a stroke had left him almost totally paralysed..able only to move a little, a hand and a leg..other than that he lay prone on his bed at the back of her shop..powerless and motionless..at the mercy of Pin, his only daughter..for the past 4 years..
..to Pin her father is her family...
..and for the past 4 years, Pin had taken care of her father..washes and cleanses him of his shit and urine, changed his pampers everyday.. four times a day...prepare his meals, measured and blended, and fed through a tube, 5 times a day..including giving him his daily medicines..pills for hypertension and others related to his illness...every day without fail..rain, monsoon, or shine..Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Meh, All Souls Day, Raya, Christmas, Pin is by her shop and by her father's side..
..confined and restrained, she simply goes about doing it stoically, quietly, cheerily, happily and with nary a complain..the word 'duty' never crosses her mind..she just does it lovingly..and through all her tender loving care, her father took on a healthy, rosy hue..but remained motionless..
...doctors who came for random visits marveled at how clean and neat her father is..not a whiff of foul smell..no stench..home-care at a level they had never seen, by someone who is not trained as a nurse..with bed sheet and pillow covers gleaming white .customers and friends who came to her shops looking for gifts and such never for a moment suspect that there is a invalid father at the back of the shop..for she is always cheery and always with a smile..
..naturally inquisitive almost to a point of being a busybody, she will greet all her friends as they past her shop..'Cikmat!!! What are you carrying?'
..and I never ceased to marvel at her, too....this spinster of a Chinese woman who is all heart and love..she gave a new meaning to the phrase 'respect for your parents'..and to pakmat, Pin is a true disciple of Confucius xiào...filial piety..
..and everytime I remember her father, I gave thanks to the Almighty..for His little Mercies...
..O Lord..You are the Most Loving..and the Most Merciful...let my final days be with iman....
..and everytime I remember her father, I gave thanks to the Almighty..for His little Mercies...
..O Lord..You are the Most Loving..and the Most Merciful...let my final days be with iman....
13 comments:
What a filial daughter.. her love and dedication for her invalid father is amazing. my heart goes out to her..
A beautiful tribute to Pin, pakmat :)
Hopefully someone will be there for her too in her time of need.
May the Almighty grant ALL your days be in iman, pakmat.
Wah... jadi femes kejap dalam blog Pakmat, heheheh :-)
You stay stay healthy, old-timer. Mudah-mudahan panjang umur kita berjumpa.
Hear, hear Pakmat, not enough have been done to promote family values, loving, caring & sharing. I can always tell when I come across someone that had been brought up in a close family environment where charity starts at home. These are the people that we often refer to as having proper upbringing and will go far in societies not to mention, a joy to be associated with.
Pakmat, I like to share this with u guys on a lazy Saturday;
Harmony
Tommy aka ‘Xiao’ kia,
What a lovely true story..boleh buat movie and let everybody tahu how a daughter can jaga the father as Pin has done..amazingly beautiful, touching and so very rare..thank you PakMat..kita orang Melayu segan nak jaga bapak yang tua sakit macam tu..sebab tu kita selalu encourage dia cari bini..betul kan?
Rasa sedih pun ada apart from admiration for Pin.
Wish I could give a big cat hug to Pin... Would you do it on my behalf Abe Mat? If it won't put you in much trouble... Or, can we delegate this task to Ayam? purrr....meow!
Dear Pakmat,
Thank you. Your post made me reflecting the past and pondering the future.
..guys, thank you for the comments above..inasmuch as my heart went out for Pin, I cannot help but pity her, .for she is just as invalid as her father is..for as long as her father is alive, she is chained to his bed..she cannot venture beyond her shop..farthest being the waste collecting point at the marketplace which is about 50 meters from her shop, where she throws his waste every evening...she knows no holidays..and I know that it is her loving care that is keeping him alive..
Dear Pakmat,
You're right. Pin really sacrifices a lot for her father too. I respect her for that. She's such a loving person and I hope one day she'll meet a man that will take care of her.
Hello Pakmat, very heartwarming posting. Great photos too of the faces behind the callsigns.
And Pin sure is a lovely lady, kind, sincere and caring....as I always believe, hands that help are Holier than lips that pray.
And you are right re us on this little speck called Earth.
I saw a documentary of earth taken by a space explorer ship millions of miles away....we are nothing, just a small dust speck in and thru Eternity.
Pakmat, you are not only a gentleman, but a good man.
You keep well Pakmat, have a nice day, Lee.
ps, its snowing like crazy now, forgot apa warna rumput past months, ha ha. Outside all white, ice and snow. Temp -7'c. Lee.
..YTC..lets hope one day she will find a man..and you have fun and joy with your family over there..:)
..Lee..love that..hands that help are holier than lips that pray..and freezing over there..can't imagine..how to piss..? it will freeze before reaching the ground..:)take care in the cold, Lee..we r having a heat wave of sorts here..
Salam, Pak Mat!
This is such a touching post. All those happy families, and the bighearted lady for whom caring for her father is not a sacrifice or a burden but an act of love. That is what the festive season is about, isn't it? To allow us to demonstrate our love and concern for each other.
Hope you enjoyed the festive break.
Best regards,
CO78
salam CO78..that's why I loved festivals..it brings out the best in us..hope you enjoyed yours, too..take care and always keep a cheer in your heart...regards to the cat in your arms, too..pakmat loves cat..
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