The Week When My Grandmother Passed Away

Year 3 will start tomorrow!
How fast time flies. And of course, I don't grow young either. Freaks me out! Aaah!

I saw my timetable. Monday to Wednesday was pretty packed. I don't mind having packed days. It's worth my trip down to isolated NIE. My Thursday's only a period lesson (1 hour). Now that's ... what I call premarital exhaustion. But no worries, I'll have my Fridays off! Woooooo!

Some major event that happened this week was that my Grandmother passed away on Sunday, July 27th, 2008, 10.30ish AM at Tan Tock Seng hospital. The accident happened at home, when her breathing tube came out. Not only the tube, the tiny tube inside, that connects to the lungs also came out. Why did she had these tubes? On September 2007, she was hospitalized and operated because she cannot breathe on her own. SO they decided to plant these tubes inside. She's also fed through the tube in her nose. It's quite sad to see her in such condition. She had been paralyzed since 5 years ago. Her disease, multi-neuro (something. something to do with her nervous system), drained her physical strength, muscles since 11 years ago. It detereorated as the years went by. At first, it started with her tongue. She felt that her tongue was stiff. Then slowly, it affected her walking, her lifting up arms and legs, and then it paralyzed her in the end. Despite the physical disabilities, her brains were still working perfectly fine. She still memorized her children and grandchildren's birthdays. A year or two years ago, I asked her about how she met my grandfather. Before the surgery, she still can communicate with me using her mouth. I had to guess the words. But after the surgery, she can only communicate with her eyes, while we have to point the letters and find the letter that she wanted. To get a sentence of 4 words, it took about 15 minutes. It was really hard for her, especially when her brains were still working well! I believe she had so much things to say but she can't.

When she passed away, I felt that the house became really lonely. My grandfather, especially, had been in his "emo" state since last Sunday. I know how it feels to lose someone you really love. I am not an expert in this coz my grandparents had been married for 51 years, this year. They just had their golden anniversary last year, which was not celebrated publicly. That long journey, and the vows that they may have not made, for better or worst, showed me what true love means. It's easy to say that you love someone when they're in a good state, be it in their appearance or finance. But are you able to say you still love that same person who was well 12 years ago but now paralyzed? Are you able to stick with him/her to the end? As a young woman, I am much in awe of the love life my grandparents had to go through. I myself had to learn from them about what true love means. Looks will wither. Strength will weaken. The important element of true love lies within us. Everything. Loyalty, faithfulness, mercy, meekness towards the other partner. It's all our decision. And I have learnt that it is my decision to do what is right. I have the freedom to choose who I will marry, but I do not have the freedom to choose my consquence. Divorce rates have been growing tremendously. Doesn't that trigger us that the world looks only at temporary love? Marriage is not the ending to a love life, it is the beginning of God's blessings or on the other hand you can call it, a nightmare. I may not have experienced marriage before, but I have set my focus on the things that will last forever.

Thank you Gong2 and Popo for your example. Gong2 may have not known Christ yet, but it's all by God's grace that he can last that long, through the better and worst with his spouse. I pray that more men will have Gong2's character traits. I pray that there will be men who know their purpose in life and will always fight for someone dear to them. My grandmother passed down this legacy to the children and grandchildren:

A never give up spirit

Let this be our prayer today to never give up in anything worth dying for.