The Cooling Stream

I was sitting behind the wheel of my van. I had a long queue before me. As I turned the corner leading to the main road junction, I could see about 10 vehicles waiting in front of me. Everyone seemed to be very eager to drive off the main road junction to their respective destination.

The traffic along the main road was rather heavy today. Vehicles from both ends were moving quite fast. Everyone must be in a hurry. I only wished there would be no untoward accident.

I had a good look of the very first vehicle in front. It was a colleague of mine. He was rather careful in his driving today. Normally he would speed through without much hesitation. I presumed the traffic in front must be very heavy, seeing one vehicle coming after another. And there were also many big vehicles this morning. Everyone must really trust on their gut and experience to go through situations like this.

A few vehicles were turning in the junction rather speedily and carelessly. I could see some of them still had the pajamas on. They looked rather sleepy with red eyes and uncombed hair. They were probably returning home after sending their children to school. Some of them might have to take a quick bath, very simple breakfast and rush to work. It wasn't easy for big family with many children, and one vehicle with many daily activities, I told myself, scratched my head and smiled to myself.

It was a nice and refreshing morning. The morning breeze was cool and faintly fragrant. But I slowly became tense as my turn arrived. I tried to think of something nice to amuse me and calm me down. I tried to smile and reassure myself while swallowing some saliva. But I was still tensed and worried.

Oh, now come my turn. I looked left and right of the main road. Surprisingly, they were few vehicles around and they were moving rather slowly. I got out of the road junction slowly and enjoyed my smooth drive. I felt rather peaceful and calm. Oh, it was a wonderful drive.

I passed through the roundabout and saw my colleague coming out of the hospital building. Oh, he must be sending his wife to work. Eh, that early?! Before 7 a.m.? I asked myself. Office hour only starts at 8. I slowly shook my head.

Upon reaching my school, I had a good smile. Traffic wasn't congested at all. Surprisingly, there wasn't even vehicle stopping in the middle of the road, putting down students. It was a rare sight but a welcome one.

Yes, I had a good drive today and I felt very nice.

The old house continued to stand firm on solid ground. It had been there for 40 years. It was a single storey detached house with a huge compound and a fish pond on its left wing.

The front lawn of the house was filled with many varieties of beautiful, colorful and fragrant flowers, plants and trees.

The old house had many rooms for the many children and grandchildren. It had been expanded and renovated several times. It had been furnished and refurnished. It had been painted and repainted.

In the old house lived an old couple. They had been blessed with many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The old man passed away in the late 70s. And the old woman had to take charge of the family in the way that she knew best.

All the children had grown up. They had their own separate house, living alone or with their family.

All the children had their own career path and their many dreams, visions, and goals. They had their own outlook and opinion on life, and they are good in sharing everything under the sun.

Then the second daughter passed away, leaving the old mother grieving and mourning for many days.

The old woman went on trips and journeys when the children were well off economically. She had a good time and had many things to tell her children and grandchildren.

The old woman passed away peacefully at the ripe old age of 80.

She had a good time with her sons, her daughters, her grandsons, her granddaughters, her great-grandsons, and her great-granddaughters.

She used to visit them and stayed with them individually and had many sweet moments with their family.

The old woman finally met with the Lord God. Hallelujah!

The old house was filled with many happiness and joys. We had many Chinese New Years there. We had many festivals and celebrations there. Our late mother had given us many ang pows there. Our late mother had put us to sleep with her favorite choruses and songs there.

The old house had brought along many stories, tales, and songs. Here we had listened to many stories and tales that we had in turn told them to our children. We had learned many songs and choruses and we had now passed them on.

The old house had also brought along many sentimental and sad moments. We had lost our loved ones, especially our late father and mother here. We had our many scars, many wounds, many pains and many sorrows here.

The old house stood the same........

......for another many years.

.......with more stories and tales to tell.......

.......with many songs and choruses to sing along.......

.......but from the same stories.......

.......from the same tales.......

.......from the same songs.......

.......from the same choruses.......

.......from the same mother, grandmother, great-grandmother........

Oh, my old house.

This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday.

It coincides with the Lord's Day.

Besides, it is also the first day of the Chinese New Year, the year of the mighty tiger.

*******

It will be good if lovers can come together on a Valentine's Day, sharing their thoughts, feelings, love, ideas, and opinions.

It will be better if lovers can make use of the Chinese New Years to visit each other's family, caring and sharing around the home.

It will be best if everyone can meet together in the church to worship God, to praise His Name, to adoring Him and to enjoy His present and blessings on this day.

May this day be a day of dedication and commitment, celebration and reflection, love and consideration, thanksgiving and praise, forgiveness and reconciliation,....... for everyone.

*******

And so we celebrate the Valentine's Day, the Lord's Day, and the Chinese New Year...

.... with faith - for without faith, it is impossible to live life to please God and men,

.... with hope - for without hope, we can't live life to the fullest,

.... with love - for without love, there is no way for us to live together for life.

And the greatest is LOVE!

*******

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Lord's Day!

Happy Chinese New Year!

P/S Don't forget Chap Goh Mei (the 15th night of Chinese New year - 28.02.2010) is the Chinese Valentine's Day.

I never knew it until yesterday: Cat can snore and my cat snores!

I was busy clicking Adgitize ads and doing my Entrecard drops. By the way, they work great to improve my blogs traffic. They are really worth a try. I will recommend it to anyone and I am sure you won't regret it!

As usual, my wife was enjoying herself watching the afternoon news and her favorite soap opera. Then she would off the TV and take her afternoon nap.

I remembered hearing her snored these past afternoons, especially when she had a busy morning cleaning, washing, scrubbing, tidying, arranging.... for the coming Chinese New Year which was around the corner.

True enough, in an hour or so, the house was very quiet.

I could hear the workers outside the house talking and laughing.

I could hear the children in neighboring houses playing and arguing, and the sound of TV and radio was loud.

I could hear the sound of cars and trucks moving through the road.....

It was indeed a very hot and quiet afternoon.

I was working frenziedly on my keyboard, making sure that I had made all my 51 Adgitize clicks and 300 Entrecard clicks for all my 6 blogs.......

Then I heard the snoring music began.

It was a long and tired snore, the type that only I could make in this house.......

I was confident that it was my wife, only she was down stair with me.

I smiled and chuckled lightly, reminding myself to tell my darling how she had snored terribly when she was sound asleep.

I continued my work, faster this time and was oblivious of the surroundings.

Then I heard someone pushing the front gate.

I paid no attention; I was enjoying myself clicking the ads and reading my favorite blogs.

The sound from the gate was getting louder.

I turned around and stood up, wanting to know what had happened.

I was convinced that my wife was still very sound asleep.

Moving toward the front door, I was surprised to see my wife wearing an army hat and carrying two bunches of bananas, one on her left hand and one on the right hand.

Feeling startled, I immediately looked at the carpet in front of the TV.

Oh my goodness, my two cats were lying on their backs with their 4 legs up and happily snoring!!!

I helped my wife with the bananas and related the story to her.......

We had a good laugh.

The two cats woke up, looking at us, wondering what had happened.

My wife told me that she had known it for a long while.

I scratched my head and laughed heartily.

I never knew that cat could snore...

Oh My God, my cats had snored!!!

Walking through the alley bringing along some books, I slowly move toward the classroom block.

The school bell has just rung.

I am having a double lesson with my students.

I am in a hurry.

But many students are still loitering along the corridors.... taking their sweet time before entering their classroom.

A group of more than 10 students from another classroom is walking in the opposite direction... in group of three or four, talking and laughing among themselves.......

They walk pass me without a word.

Then I look up and turn my head around.......

Not many students turned their heads to the teachers with a nodding respect or a smile...

Even fewer greet the teachers 'Good Morning' or "Good day".

I sigh.... So do many other teachers.

The school has changed so much.

The society is also the same.

The world that I know has really changed....

I don't recognize most of it any more.

Gone are the days when we stop and bow our heads with respect to our teachers or elders.

Gone are the days when we desire to go near our teachers or elders to share our thoughts, ideas, feelings, observation or experience.

The generation gap....

The knowledge gap....

The expectation gap....

The achievement gap....

The empathy gap....

All of a sudden I realize they are so different.

They are aliens and strangers to me....

They are people from another culture, background and world....

Now they depend on their own and create their future....

Now they fight on their own and hope for the best.....

They only listen to their teachers and elders when they have to....

And teaching has become just a routine of completing a lesson, a chapter, a course, or a study....

No further comments....

No personal questions....

No interfering....

Just leave us alone.

Quietly and tactfully teachers and elders excavate the mine and refine the ore.

These are good generation of people.

They are pure gold.

But the searing pain from a distant call....

Just leave us alone....

It hurts, really hurts..... to the core.