Family Affair

Remember about the gratitude jar I told you about a few months back? You know, the one where I keep all those little notes on things I should be thankful for? O sure you do.

Well, anyway, yesterday, I opened the lid and picked up something from the jar. And what do you know, it says “I have a wonderful parent who never stop loving me’. They do. They really do now that I finally realized it.

O no, this is not like some kind of personal blabbering or anything like that but it’s about things we take for granted. Things we have that, more often than not, fail to appreciate, until they are really gone.

My father arrived unexpectedly in KL on Saturday afternoon. I must admit I, at first, felt a little hesitant. Don’t blame me. He never visited us (me and brother) unannounced before. So I was a little bit suspicious. Plus, I had already made plan elsewhere.

“Apa mimpi datang tiba-tiba ni?” I asked half innocently.

“Takde apa....just want to visit 2 of my most favorite sons. You don’t like me here?”

“Of course, yes. Err.. I mean No”

You know what, I was still not convinced.

Apparently, he also had other plans in mind.

Right after I picked him up at Puduraya, he said he wanted to visit his mother’s grave (my arwah grandma), then, his cousin’s and brother-in-law’s, which I obliged.

Then, I sent him to my aunt’s house for him to freshen up and we went straight to visit his other sister (also my aunt) at University Hospital. She was warded for a week now due to some kidney’s complications, which I also obliged.

The next morning, we visited my cousin (his niece) who had just delivered a beautiful baby boy a couple weeks ago in Cyberjaya. We spent half a day there.

Man, it was tiring – this family affair. But it was all worth it. At the end of it, my dad ‘surprise’ visit was really a nice one. I have never been felt so close, so connected with him, or the entire clan for that matter, than it is now. He seemed soo pleased that I wanted to accompany him over the weekend- he said so.

He planned it all along. I knew it. He thought we should connect. We did things together. We went shopping together. We talked about a lot of things, which we rarely do (which mostly about my most embarrassing baby’s moment). My brother had a blast of time hearing all those ‘funny’ stories, but sure he had his moment too.

Boy, am I really glad that he came.

Few hours that I spent with him throughout the weekend really makes me appreciate more of what I have been blessed for all of my life. But sometimes, in the heat of it all, I tend to forget that fact. So I ‘collect’ all my blessings and ‘jar’ it. It should be kept in an easy-to-reach place so that anytime I need some ‘sane-checking’ I know where to go.

I looked again and the note still says “I have a wonderful parent who never stop loving me”. Yeah, of course they do, but I think I love them more.

I couldn’t stop smiling as I folded that little note and put it right back in the jar. I feel blessed.