by Jahaberdeen
I never knew her real name. I first met her in 1993 or 1994 in KL when she came to stay with her one of her sons, Mr Lee Chong San. I used to visit the house regularly then and stay the weekends there because Mr Lee’s daughter and I studied at the same university in Leeds and became good friends. That’s when I got to know the lady first hand. She was from Penang. She was a wonderfully kind lady. I recall admiring her for her spirit of life. She will wake up early in the morning and go for walks. She always had some advice for me. I then discovered that she was the mother of one Mr Lee Chong Hai
Mr Lee Chong Hai was my primary school teacher when I was in standard five in Westland’s school, Penang. He was very popular with the students and we used to call him the “science master”. He started the science garden and I was put in charge of three rabbits which lived in the garden. I was thrilled at the responsibility. I can say that all my friends loved the man. He also had a unique motorbike which was the talk of the school. What a small world!
Mr Lee Chong San, her other son is another man I have tremendous respect and love for. I have never come across someone very successful like him and yet completely unassuming, humble and with a very big heart.
I have met her other son, Mr Lee Chong Jin, an equally friendly person.
Ah Mah returned to her maker peacefully on her 89th birthday on 19th November 2008 in her sleep. Only today I discovered that her name is Madam Goh Chui Ean.
Ah Mah, the fact that your sons have such big hearts surely reflects on you as a wonderful soul that once walked on this earth. You have been wonderfully kind to me and my only regret is that I have not made time to spend time with you in the past 4 years. It is families like Ah Mah’s that convinces me that people can transcend racial religious lines and wholeheartedly embrace each other as human beings. I thank God for having the privilege of knowing you.
Ah Mah, may your soul rest in peace!
Why are we born? Ask yourself morning, afternoon and night, every day.
ReplyDeleteOur birth and death are just one thing. You cant have one without the other. Its funny to see how death make people tearful and sad and how birth make people happy and delighted.
Its so delusional. I think if you really want to cry, then it would be better to do so when someone is born. Cry at the root, for if there is no birth, there will be no death?
Why are we born? We are born so that we will not have to be born again.
When one does not understand death, life can be very confusing.
The Buddha told his disciple to see impernance, to see death with every breath. We must know death; we must die in order to live. What does this mean? To die is to come to the end of all our doubts, all our questions and just be here with the present reality. If you can do it, you will know the peace of no more questions.
Having died, we are born again, having born, we die again. This birth and death from one moment to the next is the endless spinning wheel of samsara.
May Ah Mah have a good journey into heaven and may your soul rest in peace.