From Selangor to Penang to Kedah

My aunts and I wanted to visit my grandfather who is currently staying at his brother’s house in Sungai Petani. It turns out that the maid had gone home to Indonesia because her husband and children had died in a car accident. Since there is no one at home to take care of him at home, they decided to let him stay there for awhile. It was better for him too, since his brother was also retired and he would have someone to talk to at home.

When I saw my grandpa, I was a little bit shocked at his condition. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen him for quite awhile. But he looked very weak. He couldn’t even speak clearly. It was partly due to his recent surgery, but it was also partly due to his age. I never realized how old grandpa had become! His memory is not very good either. I kept thinking about how he had changed so much. He used to be so healthy. I still remember him exercising every morning. He would bring me along with him for morning walks when I was young. He would bring me to houses which had fish ponds in them. If the walls were too high, he would hoist me up so that I could see the fish. I still have vague impressions of those moments. It’s been almost 20 years.

As I was chatting with him, grandpa told me that he had been praying for us all this while; everyday in fact. Yes, I still remember grandpa’s prayers. He would wake up every morning at a bout five, kneel at the piano stool, and pray for at least an hour. He would pray for everyone in the family. One by one, he would pray for each of us. He prayed aloud, and I could normally hear what he was saying. He had such persistence and perseverance in prayer. I told him that we were praying for him too, and how we prayed for him when we heard that he had been admitted to the hospital.

I hope grandpa will be able to enjoy these last few years of his life. Many of us have taken him for granted in the past. Losing grandma was a big blow for him. The fact that there were frequent misunderstandings between him and dad didn’t help too. He went through many lonely times. I would like to sit down and have a chat with him another time soon. Maybe I can find out more about the history of our family, before it is lost forever. As we left the house, I hoped that this would not be the last time I see him. I want to go back and see him more often.