Rod Stewart's 'Faith of the Heart'

It's been a long day.

Woke up aching all over, having slept from 4-8. so I tried sleeping again. This time, I woke at 11 with puffy and tearing eyes, a non-stop-sneezing-runny-nose, and a bad mood. What some would call the wrong side of the bed. Was close, very close to giving up, to calling poon and telling him I'd not be able to make the prayer session; since I couldn't sing, speak, or worse, perhaps end up passing the bug, I didn't see the point.

I prayed about it. And went down.

Somehow I had enough energy to last til night: evening was babysitting for my parents' friends' kids (ranging from 3-12 years old) at my place while they had a prayer session.

At first it was so awkward. My room was bare (all things kept away so they'll remain dust-free for the usual interim 9 months) and I couldn't think of anything to do with the 3 children who were in my room looking uncomfortable with me. The 2 younger ones were scared (of strangers i.e. me) and didn't even want to come into the room.

But somehow, it began to ease up with a couple of questions, a little sharing, soon, a mini game of table-tennis with no table, the appearance of their 2 "My Little Ponies" which prompted me to open boxes and dig up my own from 18 years ago, rounds of potato chips and chocolates, 2 rounds of Uno cards....The night ended with all 5 of them happily chatting away, bouncing on my bed, clambering up and pretending to fall down, drawings of themselves on torn-off pages of my old diary strewn on the floor.

I understand better what it means that children can teach us lessons.

After a good bath, and a good mop of the packet-drink-spill-stain on my bedroom floor, even the energy to give thanks to My Strength comes from Him. What great abounding energy it is, to express my deepest gratitude to the one who saw me through it all.

There is one I must affirm. She was there to listen to my complaints, about the runny nose, the blurry eyes, the horrid coughs, the false moves. She herself had to prepare for 20, the session, the ambience, the food, the arrival, her own health, the cleaning-up. She gave me comfort, and searched for none herself; she did not complain at all.

Thank you, mum.