It's the 7th year. Yet, it feels like yesterday. Still loved. Still missed. Always close in the heart. There's so much of her in us that she never actually let us go. We never actually felt the loss. I always turned to her in my mind and heart when I needed somebody to listen to me. Somebody who would very gently sit next to me and talked about other things besides what was troubling me to distract my thoughts. Someone unknowingly but instinctively knew that something was wrong but would never ask until I was ready to tell her. Someone who respected your privacy and never intruded on your territory. Someone who never nagged and accepted whatever decision I had made whether it was a wise or stupid one. Someone who would not tell me when I was wrong but let you wisely experienced the mistakes and made amends. Someone who accepted me and loved me no matter what stupid, crazy, illegal, childish or very adult actions I might have done.
:-D She always said any of us could always come home. Adik did. Hanah did. With all their children and bags. She never asked or intruded but gave them space and time out to work out their problems. She welcomed them with love and protectiveness. She took over taking care of the children until their better half turned up to talk things over.
Her sons in-law loved her. Respected her quiet, dignified ways. Her delicious, home-cooked food which none of the daughters could emulate...
:-{ Her non-intrusive ways into their lives. Her non-involvement into her children affairs. She was the embodiment of United Nations...
:-D Her patience, unconditional love and understanding even if that child refused to visit her or came home. She only had one daughter in-law which was Hamid's wife.
When Hamid was diagnosed with tuberculosis, she took care of him for almost 3 years. Mala was back in Kedah with her family to protect the children from being infected. Since Mak herself was a TB patient, she undertook the task with open heart and mind. She never criticized Mala's decision to live apart. Hamid loved his children whom he was very close with. When he finally got through his treatment, he went back to Kedah with his family. One thing about Mak, she never held any of her children back from their decision. She was a very accepting lady. Her generosity knew no bounds. We always thought she was too generous to a fault.
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| Sitting between Mak and Bapak graves at Peringgit... ;-0 |
Today, I pay tribute to my late mother, Che Poon binti Suki. Loved and missed but never out of my heart or mind. I learned patience, discipline, open-minded, accepting, generosity and understanding from her. She was 71 when she passed away. Her children inherited her
fair skin (plus the freckles), youthful looks, straight black hair, gentle disposition, sweet nature and cooking skills (
FINALLY!!! :-D ) and never expecting anything in return. We held on to her adage - "Biar orang buat kita, jangan kita buat orang" - even though it took our whole lives to finally accept and live with it as she did.
:-) That's how she taught us i.e. by letting us learned and understood it with time. - in her own quiet, unintrusive way. Not forcing it unto us. She gave her love but never expecting it to be returned. Thus, she was loved so much more. I loved her then. I love her now. May every good deed I do in this world, especially in this much revered and holy month of Ramadhan will be hers. Al-Fatihah. Rest in peace, Aamiiin.
"Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away."
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