Let Me Do It

I came across a poem when I was in secondary school. The poem has affected very much the way I led my life thus far. It is something like this:-

Life is a long journey,
And we are all, but travellers
on this long road of life;
Anything that I can do;
Any kindness that I can show,
Let me do it there and then...
for I may not pass this way again.

I am glad that because of my student from River Valley High School, Chua Choon Mui, I started to donate blood some 21 years ago. Choon Mui's mom needed surgery and would require quite a lot of blood. Like a heroine I trudged to the blood bank, only to be told that I disqualified as my haemoglobin was too low.! Pride before the fall! However, after taking some tablets, I managed to donate and had been donating until four years ago, when I had to stop because of hypertension. I am glad I gave blood when I could and had given some 78 times. The Blood Bank has kindly given me 10 years of medical benefits. I do not have to pay for consultation and medication when I visit the polyclinics.

I am also glad that I managed to take time off during the school holidays to help in our church missionary programs in Nepal, Japan, China, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. I was then fitter and could climb the mountains in Nepal and the Great Wall of China and walk for miles in the countries we visited. Now, due to my constant back aches, it would be quite a task to scale a hill, let alone a mountain.!

So often, we tell oursleves when we finish this and that, we will start to do something. When we have finshed our tertiary, we will volunteer in the orphanage. When our children get married, we will involve ourselves in some homes for the aged. etc. etc. I wish to give God the prime of my life; not my twilight years when I am starting to have constant backaches and headaches! We could always combine some short term mission work when we are working. I am thrilled when I see some youngsters just taking a year or two off from work to volunteer in Myammar, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. I am confident they will improve all round when they come back - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It is in giving that we receive.

I am glad that I gave myself the opportunity to start a restaurant and to convince myself that I had the courage to do it. Best of all, to know that I could become a self-taught chef! Now I have the pleasure of cooking to entertain friends and colleagues!

As a child, I loved to teach. The moment I learnt to read, I started to form a little class with my neighbours' children as my students. Hence it was not surprising that I opted to teach after my tertiary! It was only when I lost my voice and quit teaching that I discovered my potential in real estate sales.!

When my brother discovered his daughter's musical talent, he personally coached her despite his busy schedules. Now Ning is an accomplished concert violinist; if brother had been too busy with his own career, Ning would probably be a chef today. At an interview, she had told the interviewer that if she were not a violinist, she would have loved to follow the footsteps of Jamie Oliver, the accomplished chef.

I cried when I read the news about the little 6 year old girl, Anna Lim, who was recently drowned in Sentosa Hotel pool. It was even more poignant as she had asked her father to teach her how to swim, but the father never found the time to do so. I can identify with the father's feelings. How many of us have regretted not doing something which we should have done, because we kept procrastinating. If only, if only, if only ...........

How many of us regret not having the time to make that trip home to see our loved ones.? How many regret not spending more time with our children.? I remember a friend whose son was jailed, saying to me, "If only I could turn the clock back, I would rather earn less and spend more time with my son....the fault is also mine."

Let us follow our heart.... if we need to do something let us just do it there and then.

Gan Chau