CNY visits

I was really glad we made the trip to Malacca yesterday to visit my aunt and uncle - closest extended family in the absence of my parents. Our cousins - their children (and families) who live in Singapore were there too. My aunt and uncle are slowing down - both in their early eighties......meeting them mostly once a year means we notice the difference more. My aunt does not cook much these days, and they are finding it difficult to maintain their home without a domestic helper. They were as usual, very glad to see us.

As i observed and spoke to them, I noticed what ageing involves. There's the physical slowing down. There's the change of sleeping patterns - sleeping very early and waking up in the wee hours of morning to potter about. My uncle keeps active because at the age of near eighty - two years ago, his son got him a desktop computer. He spends time learning the 'ropes' of emailing, internet and now scanning his large collection of photos (spanning the last 50 years) album by album into the computer. He has moved from using his old typewriter to using a computer. I realize that newness keeps us going, even more so for the elderly - having something to look forward to do each day widens lives that narrow with physical diminishment. My aunt has probably also been tidying up in her own way- she found some photos of my mother in her younger days (taken in the late 1940's). She gave them to me - a new year gift I will treasure.

The CNY cultural festivities this year are tempered by the countercultural call of the gospel. For tomorrow Feb 17th is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season. As a friend shared - this is a dichotomy - and i would say dissonance. The voices of the cultural tradition calling for prosperity (meaning in terms of health and wealth) are to give way to the voice of our Lord calling for a renewal of life and faith.