On This Hari Raya Day...

Visitation

The best part of any festive season is the meeting of friends and loved ones as it is always during this time that we take time off to see one another. This year is not any different.

After having being invited so many times, I felt it was only polite that we took a concerted effort to visit the ex-head of Seafield. So on this Sunday after church service, the family decided to pay her a visit.

Both husband and wife being academicians were full of bright ideas and our conversation varied from tales of our children to the past experiences we went through in school. A warm and kind lady, Puan Zaleha with her usual calm and soft voice echoed her aspirations as the head in her new place of work and I was encouraged by her inner strength and sincerity in her new ideas and vision...we could have gone on and one until we realised we went way past our appointed time. So, we left with hugs and embraces and the warm gestures lingered in our memories throughout the day.

A house so tastefully done up, I could not resist taking a shot of the family wall...an indication of how much emphasis is put in family relationships. I could see and feel how close the family unit was and parents and children conversed in great details of care. Prof Hashim was especially light-hearted and warm and insisted that he be addressed as Hashim only...and we laughed that once a teacher, always a teacher...the label sticks forever.

Back home we came back not surprised to receive real Hari Raya goodies from Aris, the old faithful friend of dad's.

So musch food, rendang, ayam masak merah, kacang kuah, udang, ketupat and so we celebrated the season in the home too.

But perhaps the best part of the day was when we recevied visitors from Muar...Mr. and Mrs. Wee...friend of 40 years.

They are the bravest couple in this modern times...6 lovely children all brought up in the fear of the Lord. They popped in a little late all because they had to wait for Jacinth to finish her Bible Knowledge exam after church. Their priority for God not questioned. So wonderful to see all of them...(from the left) Jemima, Jelyn, Josiah, Joash and Jacinth...and the eldest girl who is Grace's contemporary is working in the UK as a pharmacist. She is Joy...the J children !

Who can deny them the right of having so many children! Even God sees it fit they have all of them! So beautiful. It is even more comforting to know all these children are close to my parents in Muar too. Often time Por por invites them for dinner and she would feel so delighted as all the children hug and kiss them after dinner. Por por never fails to comment on the children's good behaviour and longs for her own to visit them too.

What a wonderful time we had together as again we talked about old friends and plans for our children. All good things must come to an end though and we had to bid our goodbyes.

This time we must make a trip to visit the old folks down South.

Selamat Hari Raya once again...to Muar and Singapore.