Three Memories About Grandma

TWO PURSES

  Grandma used to have two purses, one of them was for the money separated unto the Lord. She would always take a portion out from the monies she received from her many children and placed it in her ‘holy’ (which means: ‘set apart') purse. And she would take out the amount of money from the purse every Saturday and got it ready to be offered during Sunday worship at the church on the next day.

     Grandma always said that she didn't have much wealth. However in the eyes of a young child, I instead reckoned that she must be very rich as she needed two purses to keep all the money she had! And in fact, I'd never heard her complaining about any lack financially nor did I ever seeing her not being able to dish out any money at any occasion. She not only had extra money to buy gifts, to help the poor and needy, she would also buy various kinds of gifts, toys and titbits for her many grandchildren. On top of all that, she was able to allocate a portion for the Lord and his church and should there be any special items calling for extra contribution, she would always participate without much hesitation as well.

 "How much one needs to give to the Lord in order to please Him?" I once asked Grandma. I could still vividly remember her very answer to that question of mine until this very day, "Its nothing to do with the amount of money you give. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver, just as He took delight in the two little coins offered by the poor widow and despised her not."

I reckon that Grandma was truly wise because she knew enough to invest her temporal monies in things that are of eternal value. She is truly rich, don't you think?

Emmanuel

One day, Grandma showed me some silver necklaces and pendants of cross she bought after returning home from town. She said she's gotten them for each of her granddaughters. The back of each of the crosses was engraved with words of blessings, for example, 'Jesus loves you', 'abundance of grace', 'Emmanuel' etc.

I was at Grandma's side helping her out in putting each pair of pendant and necklace into individual gift packs for my cousins, therefore I was given the privilege to choose one for myself. Well, call me greedy, but it wasn't an easy task at all for one who had always wanted all the blessings available if possible to choose only one among the many! After flipping through all the crosses on the table several times for as long as I could possibly remember, I finally gave up in frustration and sought grandma's opinion instead, "Which one is the BEST?" 

"Emmanuel," grandma answered without any hesitation, "God with us is the blessing of blessings." She remarked ('Emmanuel' means 'God with us').

   

Unfortunately that my physique was incompatible with silver so that set of necklace and pendant would turn blackish after a while due to chemical reaction with the mineral contents of my sweat. Not long after that, I stopped wearing it and passed it for mum to keep it in the safety box after I got tired of having to take it to the goldsmith for chemical treatments to recover its shine repeatedly. 

I only realized the significance of that piece of jewelry many many years later. It was Grandma's act of bequeathing her inheritance according to the Chinese tradition when she gave those necklaces and pendants to us. The cross of Christ was Grandma's most valued possession in her whole life. Therefore, Grandma had indeed left behind her most expensive piece of treasure to every one of her granddaughters, with silver signifying the precious redemptive work of Christ her Savior, she blessed us with her prayer: "Jesus loves you, Emmanuel (God with you) and abundance of grace." 

'Emmanuel' was forever Grandma's final closing word of blessing in all her letters to my youngest uncle who went abroad to further his studies in Taiwan. I could never comprehend why Grandma couldn't come up with closing phrases other than that boring 'Emmanuel'....until it was my own turn to go overseas alone.

When I received the first letter from my dad, I started to understand just how precious it was to have God's presence with me as I came across that most familiar word of blessing at its conclusion! 

No matter how much our parents and elders love and care for us, none of them is able to accompany us everywhere we go at all times. And that all-powerful One, our heavenly Father Who loves us so much that He gave His only beloved Son Jesus Christ to die for us on that rugged cross 2000 years ago. He accomplished the work of salvation, washed away all our sins and sanctified us so that His Holy Spirit may abide in us forever! 

I started to understand the truth that 'a neighbor who lives close by is more handy than family that lives far away' while I was alone and away from home. When I faced challenging and seemingly deadlocked situations alone, I experienced the leading and saving hand of the Lord of my Grandma, the one God Who's closer than a neighbor or even a brother. He is indeed a very present help in times of trouble. It was the Lord who abides within me that held my hand and helped me first to overcome my self internally and then the external situations, many times in situations which I had already surrendered and given up on hope. I am who I am today all because of His grace, the undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor that He has lavished on me.

As I recalled, almost all the closing blessings my dad wrote at the end of his many letters to me were 'Emmanuel's as well! I wonder what went through dad's heart while he was repeating this prayer of blessing.... whether he was reminding me of the ever presence of our Lord so as to comfort me, or he was praying in his heart to remind our loving Father in heaven to take good care of me, his (and also His) beloved daughter, to lead me not into temptation and to deliver from evil? As he was repeating the same phrase his mother used to write him while he was away from home years ago I wonder, was he being reminded again of how the goodness of God had saved him from dangerous circumstances and opened ways for him to further his studies in time of uncertainties earlier on?

Even though my dear Grandma had already passed on, the Ancient of Days, the 'Emmanuel' God of Grandma IS still with those who believe him NOW. Truly, He IS the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, the God of Kiew Pick Heng (my Grandpa), the God of Pau Gee Hiong (my grandma), your God and mine. And we also believe that those who had fallen asleep in Christ shall rise again in the last days, just as Jesus said, "...but those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, ....nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." (Luke 20:35-38)

CHICKEN SOUP & NOODLES

One of the happiest events throughout my childhood was the time to receive visitors. Every time when our relatives and family members come back from Sabah to visit us in Sibu, Grandma would wake up early and cook a big pot of chicken soup and estimated the time so that she could get the noodles ready upon their arrival at our doorstep.

Everyone in the family seemed to get used to this standard procedure, i.e., to pay a visit to Grandpa and Grandma would be the first thing they must do after they'd touched down in Sibu, and to enjoy a bowl of delicious chicken soup with longlife noodles; and bid them goodbye before they depart, not leaving without filling their stomachs with the same, of course!

When it was my turn to leave home for further studies, dad followed Grandma's tradition and prepared the same treat even though Grandpa had passed on to be with the Lord just a few months back while Grandma was away with her 'home-visiting' with my uncles in Sabah. When I return home for the first time during summer holidays two years later, even though Grandma was staying at my uncle's house at the time, she moved back to our home a day earlier just to receive me with her signature dish, yet again.

One the night I arrived in Sibu via the last Kuching-Sibu flight of the day, that was the very first time I touched down in Sibu's new airport, and it was the first time I travelled on the new airport road as well. The road was so new that the street lights were not installed yet! Even though it was very late already, I couldn't stop myself from asking dad who was at the wheel then, "I really feel like saying this, dad: 'Let's go uncle's house to pay Grandma a visit first!'"

We didn't make it to my uncle's place that night of course, because Grandma wasn't there any longer.

Grandma went home to be with the Lord on the third day after my graduation ceremony. Only dad rushed back from Melbourne to attend her funeral. Maybe it was due to the fact that I wasn't there at the funeral physically, I'd never really feel that Grandma had died. In actual fact, Grandma really didn't die. She's just rested from the toils of this world and went back to that better homeland that she had longed for.

Ever since Grandma got married with Grandpa and left China for Sarawam, she had never returned to her homeland after that. I cannot recall whether she had ever mentioned about her desire of returning to China or not. On the other hand, Grandma had repeatedly mentioned about heaven - the better homeland in the heavenlies for all who believe in Jesus because she believed and also knew deeply that her family and friends were there because of the same faith that they shared.

I know what I will say to my Lord Jesus and the angels that will be there to receive me on that glorious day when I reach our better homeland, "Let's go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a visit first!" (that is, if they are not there to receive me)

Oh, I know for sure that Grandma would definitely estimate the time (even though every time is now over there) and get her most delicious chicken soup and noodles all ready to welcome my return, and yours too.

I really look forward to this reunion that lasts forever, what about you?

 ~Written by: Ming Sing, granddaughter~