This weekend, I will be doing the thing I absolutely love the best – chilling with my kids Sam and Sara. We don’t have anything special planned, but that’s what I like. We can take things as they come and enjoy each other’s company.
However, I was reminded that things are not all rosy for many other people. I’d like to share 2 incidents with you.
I live next door to an abused wife. She is a young girl in her early twenties, the third (or fourth) wife to a monster who is nearly fifty. 2 nights ago, while we were resting, my kids suddenly came rushing in from playing outside. Then there was the sound of glass shattering. Unfortunately, it was a familiar sound. The monster had returned home, angry and violent and he was wielding a baton (similar to a police baton). He smashed all the windows and glass door and when he couldn’t get into the house, he ran to the back and smashed all the windows there. Somehow, he found his way in and began to beat his wife. Then came the sickening sound of her body being thrown against the wall and her head being banged on it. I called the police. This was the fourth time this year I had called them about the same problem and as usual, the girl denied there was anything wrong. She said she tripped, fell and broke the windows. The police know that I’m not lying. They see it all the time it seems. The wife is afraid of the consequences of pressing charges against her husband. And so we often hear her sobbing late into the night. There’s nothing we can do until she decides enough is enough.
Someone I know (a parent from my kids’ school) lost his job about a year ago. Somehow, we lost contact after he transferred his children to another school. The last I heard of him was that his wife had to have an emergency hysterectomy and so she couldn’t run her nasi lemak stall anymore. Bob (not his real name) is not the easiest of people to get along with and he made lots of mistakes that led him into the predicament that he was in. When I bumped into him this morning, his hair was long and he was unshaven. Apparently things had taken a turn for the worse and he was sinking fast. His didn’t dare drive his car because the bank was looking to repossess it. He had not paid his rent for 5 months and he had to borrow money to keep the electricity from being cut. If they are lucky, they would have enough money for one meal earned from odd jobs. One bad days, his children would have instant noodles once a day. He needs help and he needs it badly. Despite my personal feelings for him and how he foolishly got himself into this tough situation, we are going to help him for his childrens’ sake. I will be contacting a couple of welfare organizations this week to see if we can help him get back on his feet.
And so as I enjoy my Saturday Big Mac with my family, laughing at our silly nonsensical jokes, and let Sam and Sara make fun of me, I will remember that life is void of joy for many, many other people.
And I will count my blessings. I hope you will too.
Oh… and remember to say “I love you” to the people that mean the most to you.
