SimonSimple

Hi People

I want to give God all the glory and say that 2007 has been a tremendous year for me and the family. Indeed He has protected and provided for all our needs.

I want to thank Him for our new home, one with a view that will make any house hunter drool. They call this “100% no blockage”. Hee hee hee. These shots were taken from my bedroom and the dining area windows! Even the view from the kitchen and wash area is something to live for. I kid you not, but it is like a mini Jurong Bird Park. (BTW can someone tell me the names of these 3 colourful cool chicks?) We wake up each morning to a resort feel. Little Guilin is a minute’s stroll away. The air is cool and so are the friendly neighbours.

My daughter asked me this morning as we trotted down 5 flights of stairs, “Daddy, do you like our new home?” Do I like? I absolutely love it. It is like, “God, what have I done to deserve all this?” A dear colleague rightly said, “We reap what we sow, and after all these years, you are now reaping what you have sown.” I like to believe she is right.

Gratefully I leave 2007 and gleefully I plunge into 2008.

God’s blessings for the New Year to one and all!

Hi People

Blessed Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I know I have not been blogging for well over a month. Well, much has transpired over these 4 weeks.

First off, my wife and I spent 9 days on a mission trip in Cambodia. We taught on family matters to a people eager to learn; we learnt much from these simple folks on how to stay humble and gentle in spirit. Another thing, Cambodians have to stay slim in order to make it safely as they ride as a family of 4 (sometimes 5!) on their trusty motorbikes.

Another weekend saw our youngest commissioned as an Armour officer. He seems to enjoy his National Service, managing to excel as one of the top officer cadets. Hmmn, I too was once a best officer cadet, way back in 1972, that’s 35 years ago.

Another Sunday saw me officiating at a niece’s wedding. I was the teacher for the moment. I challenged the young couple to always cherish one another for after all is said and done, it’s the marriage and not the wedding that counts. The marriage is not a contract for happiness but a covenant of belonging.

This last weekend saw us frantically packing for the big move to our new home. Funny how the old house started falling into disrepair - light bulbs started acting and blowing out, the walls weeping with moisture. I guess it is sad that we are leaving. Yes, it is with mixed emotions that we are leaving a place we have called home for the last 21 years. Appropriately, just like our children when they attain the legal age of 21, we all grow up and move on.

I am not one to look back too much. My illustration is like the gear box of a car, there is only one reverse gear but more forward gears. I am looking forward to our new home in lush surroundings where the birds chirp cheerfully and butterflies flutter casually about, without the rush rush of nearby Orchard Road.

What will the days of 2008 be like, I wonder? Would it be exciting? The word given to my wife and I is ‘BREAKTHROUGH’. I was reflecting on this word over the last few days. Two other words kept popping up. ‘BREAD’ & ‘TRUE’. God, what is your will for my life? What will the days of 2008 be like, I wonder?