Emotional Outburst

The son was crying and screaming. His wife had left him for good. He had begged and pleaded for her to stay, but she would not; she had had enough. He just couldn't stop beating her when he came home drunk. And he always got drunk lately because he was feeling rather stressed in his job.

He told everyone around that he had no reason to continue living. Nothing he had done seemed to work. His boss was too demanding and had never stopped grumbling and cursing him. His work was too tedious and overpowering. Nobody in the workplace seemed to understand him. Everyone disliked him. He talked nothing else but to commit suicide.

His mother was listening quietly. She was shaken and upset. She was crying with tears all over her face. She was crying quietly and her body trembled.

She remembered many years ago how painful she had given birth to him. She remembered how many sleepless nights she had worrying about her only son when he was very sick. She remembered how she had brought him in and out of the hospital, even in the middle of the night. She remembered just how much she had suffered to bring him up a successful young man after her husband had passed away early. She was screaming and crying in her heart for her son who had given up hope living.

She was crying in her broken heart, and mumbling softly repeatedly, "Son, you still have me, your mother. Please don't go."

Her son just couldn't hear her.... What a son!

Her mother finally fainted and hit against the cement staircase.

The son turned toward the mother. It was a bad fall.

The son rushed his mom to the hospital running. It was too late...

He lost two beloved women that day.

Sometimes emotional outbursts can trigger chain reactions.

Do not say or do things that you will regret later.

Playing Guitar With My Heart

I remembered the younger days, when I loved to carry my guitar around and played some songs. I still recalled the sentimental songs that I loved to sing. And as I sang, I plucked the strings along, and enjoyed that romantic feelings and the company of my loved ones and my friends.

I remembered seeing some of my friends who had pretended that they knew how to play a guitar, holding tight to it and sitting closely with their love ones. Yeah, guitar did played an important part in our courtships and friendships during our younger days.

Playing guitar cooled me down and made me relaxed. It made me concentrate on my song and led others to sing along. We enjoyed our sense of belonging as we sang along and stared longingly at one another.

But playing guitar also got me into much troubles. I became unduly emotional in everything I did. Everything I thought and did centered solely on my feelings. And I had broken many hearts and hurt myself deeply as well. Many broken relationships and many sad memories hinged on my crazy love for my guitar.

I have not played guitar for many years now. And I miss the feeling very much.

Few months back, my children insisted that I got them a good guitar. We scouted around town, in and out of many shops, finally we managed to get a guitar of our dream.

So I started to tune the guitar. Then I realized that I had oversized fingers. Oh no, I couldn't even touch one string at a time. I laughed and sighed to myself. I managed to get the guitar tuned right after quite sometime. Apparently, my sense of listening to music had also deteriorated.

I looked at my oversized fingers and held my grip. Oh no, my fingers felt so stiff.

So what do I do now? I decide to make music with my mouth and play my guitar with my heart. Yeah, I can still hear myself plucking the strings, though faintly and full of sad tunes...

We Are Multi-Millionaire

I was attending a birthday gathering, when someone dear to me sang a chinese song entitled something like "if I have a million dollars."

I was enjoying myself listening to the song when suddenly I realized that all of us are millionaires in one way or another. 

Our present conditions are not that bad. We have enough and we are able to provide sufficiently for all our loved ones.  

But we grumble and complain, and we want more. We want to have a million dollars.

Many of us are born a millionaire because we are born with no deformity.

And many of us grow up a millionaire because we are healthy and strong most of the time.

And many of us are ready to be a millionaire because we have completed our education and training.

And many of us are living the life of a millionaire because we have a job and are able to satisfy our needs. 

And many of us are enjoying the life of a millionaire because we are happily married and we have raised up many children.

And may of us are already living the life of a multi-millionaire because we have finally found satisfaction and fulfilment in everything we do. We know how a simple and contented lifestyle under the protection and the provision of God is all that we need.

In fact, we don't need that million dollars for we are multi-millionaires.

Take Time To Love

I discovered something very strange about lovers today.

During courtship, they can't tolerate each other's absence. They must come together once in a while. They must hear each other's voices when they are lonely. They can spend hours on the phone. They can look longingly at one another for a long time. They can sit closely and talk softly but audibly. They can hold hands, hug one another in public and walk together sharing the same umbrella.

After marriage, especially after they have more children, they can't tolerate each other's presence. They must part company for a long while because they have unfinished businesses. They hardly talk on the phone and they seldom look eye to eye. They sit far apart and talk horribly loud. They don't hold hands anymore, they don't hug one another in public, and they seldom share the same umbrella.

I have seen married couples with kids quarrel in public places. The husband then walked very far ahead, and the wife followed from behind grumbling and shouting at the children who couldn't follow the pace. Then I saw the husband paused for a while, talked even louder and continued walking. And I noticed many people around were watching and laughing away.

But I have also noticed old couples walking slowly together in love. They still hold hands together. They still hug one another in public. And they still share the same umbrella.

Love takes time and effort. And it can still be very romantic. ... But it takes a lot of patience and tolerance.

The Road To Life

It was a long journey. I was walking slowly along the side of a road to the hospital. Traffics was as usual and the weather was especially kind. I was 15 and was having my mid-term holiday. I was bringing food everyday at this hour to my father in the hospital.

For many days I had been very unhappy. I had been reasoning within myself... Why people had to die...

Every time I thought of my father lying down helplessly in the hospital made me sad and mad. He was an iron man who had traveled all the way from China 50 years ago to this beautiful land of Sarawak. Started as a shop assistant and a laborer, he was determined to climb his way up to be a successful businessman. He was a man of vision and mission, who desired to make his first million soon. He moved to a border town to supply the needs of the two sides of the local economy. Situation was tough but didn't break him down. Together with his wife, he made a decent living there. Soon the place was developed and more business opportunities were at hand. But he was ousted out of the town during his peak years. Envy and jealousy were rampant in business wars, as everyone started to play local politics and dirty tricks.

He started afresh as a vegetable seller. His spirit remained strong. He was still an iron man. And he supported and provided for his many sons and daughters.

But he was diagnosed with throat cancer, probably due to his heavy smoking during his prime years. There he lay down helplessly in the hospital after the operation.

As I turned towards a short cut route, the place became quieter and I felt very lonely. But I couldn't get rid of the thought that life was a cycle. We are born as a child, we grow up and we go to school. We then have to make a living, yeah we may prosper in one way or another. Then we grow old and helpless, we get sick and weak, and we die.

Is that all that is to have? Is life just a cycle that goes on and on? Are we just miserable creatures living throughout our life on our own alone? Oh God, my creator, where are you?

My father died, but I was awaken years later. Thank God for saving and reviving me. I finally was led to realize that the chief end of man is to worship and to enjoy God and not to chase after worldly gains. Yeah, I had made my first million when I was brought to know the LORD Jesus Christ. And I will make millions more as I live my daily life to please Him only.

Life is no longer meaningless as I can relate everything to my Heavenly Father in prayer.

Yeah, I have found my road to life.

If I'm given another chance to live......

A farmer got tired and had a rest.

He was musing away and smiling to himself when he thought of what the animals would say if they were given another chance to live......"

************

The cat would say, "I would rather be a mouse. I had once stolen a fish, and I was badly beaten. But when the mouse ransacks the whole kitchen and eat all the food, the human just shakes the head and says what can we do."

The mouse would say, "I would rather be a cat. The cat has ready food and eat nice meals all its life. But many of my friends were eaten by the cat just for stealing a little food from the kitchen."

************

The pig would say, "I would rather be a cow. While the work may be tough and the days may feel long, the cow has good reputation for being hardworking. Yet when the human look at me, they always brand me as a lazy and stupid pig."

The cow would say, "I would rather be a pig. Human squeezes my milk and give me only grass. I work so hard, but what do I get? Look at the pig, lying comfortably in the pigsty doing nothing, just waiting for food... and eat, sleep and grow fat and big."

************

The eagle would say, "I would rather be a hen. Ample food and drink, ready shelter and protection. You name it, she has it all. But all day long I'm tormented by the scorching sun and lashing rain. And then I must be ready and careful to find prey and avoid being preyed. Life is really hard and tough."

The hen would say, "I would rather be an eagle. I can soar high up in the sky and enjoy the beautiful sights. I can dive fast from above and grab all I like to eat. But what have I here, eat and lay egg everyday. And the moment I'm caught laying fewer eggs, I will be targeted for slaughter"

************

The man wakes up and continues his work.

He finally realizes that true contentment is in the heart, and not in the surroundings. Change your surroundings, you may be happy for a while. But change your perspective of life, and you will live a happy and fulfilling life.

And he smiles broadly and happily again.