SimonSimple

Hi People

So many good things happened in the month of June that I nearly had no time left to blog.

The very first day, we had news that my daughter’s telephone interview for a scholarship went smoothly. The first Sunday came and we signed off our house we have called home for the last 21 years.

The very next day we went for a 5-day church retreat and felt renewed, refreshed and recharged. We were richly blessed by the speaker at the camp.

That weekend our son decided to take up a scholarship offer. Like his sisters before him, he has been told that his university education is for him to choose and to finance. I plan to retire at 55, no matter what the ‘gahmen’ says.

Then I took my wife for on an overseas cruise to an idyllic island north of Singapore. Well actually it was a bumboat ride to Pulau Ubin. We had a tremendous time there conducting a half day workshop for some 50 enthusiastic childcare teachers from the Young Women Muslim Association, ranging from below 20 years old to the over 50’s. Again I reiterate, when you teach, you learn twice. Indeed the participants taught us plenty. We made new friends and threw out some old beliefs.

That Saturday the family combined a birthday lunch and a Father’s Day lunch. As the father, I had the privilege of footing the bill. The bonus was a long distance call from our daughter in Sydney. As a family, we five are doing fine.

Sunday found us at the airport sending our eldest daughter off to Australia for her holiday and to meet up with her sister.

Monday we found our new home, all in a half hour house viewing. We are excited by the prospect of living an idyllic life by year’s end, like the one we experienced on our day trip to Ubin. Life is looking good.

Saturday saw us celebrating 30 good years of our marital harmony with 4 other couples we call the King James Blessed Ones. I then took 3 days off to celebrate & cement our wonderful relationship that first started when we were in high school some 40 years back.

Tuesday night we received our daughter at the airport but not before a romantic late afternoon stroll along the board walk along Changi beach followed by a quiet dinner at the Changi Beach Club watching the sun set.

Our son completed his junior term in officer cadet school and proudly shared that he topped the obstacle course segment and will proceed to the next phase of training of his choice - the Armour unit, after a short overseas exposure trip this coming week. Because he is enjoying his national service stint, the army is enjoying a motivated soldier. I see a young man of fine character in the making.

There is much to be thankful for in June and we look forward to more blessed news in July. My wife reminded me the other day, that the secret to happiness is to have a grateful heart. Just look around you to confirm the opposite - the people who are unhappy tend to gripe a lot. Do you want to be a bitter person…or a better person? Start being grateful. God bless you.