Today mum's stamina seems good, she has been lying on the sofa and chatting away for a couple of hours....of cos it could be becos 3 of us are around, and now for once she has at least 2 at any time every evening....it used to be only me most all the time in the evening or sk on sat....

now every day that passed and she is happy is a gain to us....after she was relieved of the 1.5 litres of fluid in her lungs and 2 stents inserted to hold up the blood vessel 'crushed' by the tumour, she has seemingly picked up....but i had been warned anything can happen anytime and unlikely to cross pass another year.....she did mention about difficulty in swallowing and ask why....how to tell her the tumour is prob pushing at her airways....and absent mindedness.....which is not bad so she wont remember things too painful.....

am grateful to come through the turmoil the last 3 weeks esp after I returned from vietnam; things were really in a whirl as she got worse and worse, and the dreadful news that it was relapse of the malignant tumour now in advanced stage ...didnt know how to carry on had anything happen then.... This reprieve gave me the time that i need to regain composure and strength for the time ahead....and am truly grateful to the Lord for his mercies in this.

it also taught me to value time, to make good use of every moment...not just with family, but also at work, to value everything that one puts one heart to do whilst one is still doing....and to me teaching is still one of the most meaningful vocation.

would i have done the same when i was younger? Maybe not but there again, things were not that stable for me then....Another thing about youth is they are often very certain of what they are doing cos whatever they feel is what it is......i was no different then.....[btw, my definition of youth, from 20 to mid thirties....below 20s, still kids....beyong mid thirties, well hopefully has attained some maturity....and defintion of maturity? (403 pple will know we always define the scope of our discussion with definitions first....) ...havent thought of it at the moment....]

it would be tragic however if no reflections are done at some point in life......and realise that life has to be meaningfully led....

hope to have a more systematic (sorry math training again) to write on specific topics later...will consider requests. :)

meantime, mum has gone up to rest....another peaceful day, and that thankfully.....about time to drive back again...not my favourite time cos by now i do get quite tired....

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