.: Woven Into My Life :.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,

but what is woven into the lives of others.

– Pericles -

13^th April 2012 will mark the 6^th year death anniversary of my late grandpa.

Whenever we have family gatherings, amidst the bustling chatters and laughters, I would take a personal pause to let all of it sink in and to also reflect. This is how you would have wanted us to be. Blood is thicker than water, you have always said, and I know how you have put in so much to ensure that we carry that reminder with us.

When I was younger, you, through my mom, have always emphasized the importance of being a close-knitted family. But back then, I was too young to really comprehend that true meaning of that. Yes sure, my brother, cousins and I love to meet up during school breaks, run about and have fun in the sun. I never saw it coming, but one day, it really hit me hard - and things were never really the same again.

 No more hide-and-seeks, no more ice-and-fires, no more lat-tali-lat-tali-tam-plongs. And no more playing grown-up because we really were grown ups.

We barely meet anymore as we find it difficult to find a common time amidst our busy working/studying schedule. Now, I finally understood what you and my mom meant when mentioning that being a close-knitted family requires the hard work and effort.

Focusing my thoughts back to the gathering, I looked at the younger ones teased each other over a private game of charade, and as the older ones discussed over serious matters of politics and finance, I can’t help but smile in my heart knowing that this is the fruit of what you have laboriously sowed.

You may not have left behind heaps of tangible fortunes like other wealthy baba tycoons, but I am so glad that we inherited the richness of family values that you have weaved into our lives.

And for that, I thank you.