The story of Ms Violet Lim's was on today's Cover Page of the Sunday Times.. and as i was reading about her spunk and passion for life even as she battled with cancer (she caused a new social policy to be implemented!), i could not help but remember the similarities that she had with my mother - the spunk for life right till the end of her journey on earth. I still remember that the doctor at the hospice had said that her heart was still beating strong even when she died, but it was because of the fluids in her lungs that she had to draw her last breath.
Watching Dan In Real Life this afternoon with Ps Larry, Jun and Neli, Howard and Gary also reminded me of the pain of missing a loved one and this video clip of Logan that Kitte just asked me to watch also reminded me of the words of comfort and assurance of His love that God spoke to me when I questioned His love over my mother's and my life those years ago when she had to undergo all those surgeries and therapies.
I sent the below email out 5 1/2 years ago to some of my friends, a month after she passed away and today, and i did a post of it on Multiply in Jul 06. But today's series of events makes me want to share this memory of her with the other new friends i have made in the last 2 years.
Written by Uncle Chen, my mother's line dancing friend. Line Dance had become my mother's passion ever since she got diagnosed with cancer in 1998.Uncle Chen himself suffered from cancer but he survived through it. This was written on 27th July 2002, 10 days after my mother's death posted on a line dancing forum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots...."
After months of struggling through her treatment upon the relapse of her illness, she finally surrendered her soul to be in paradise with the LORD. It was not an end. It was merely the beginning of a new life. She had gone forth to prepare the place for us to meet again someday. Err…to LineDance?
One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots…..that’s all she had with her as she lay in the “box”.
The wake was well attended. Her husband, Mr Toh, came up to me and whispered “Mary, had asked for you guys to do a dance for her. She had said something about a last ‘new’ dance she had learnt”
Yes, i recalled showing her “I will survive” at the Singapore General Hospital a few weeks back. Even as she teetered, she had managed the 32 count sequence!
i couldn’t get myself to dance in front of her coffin, but the Society’s “Young Guns” did! They even ingeniously changed the first count “shooting” hand-movement to that of a “salute”.
Our family first spotted Mary when we visited Riverside nearly 3 years ago. It was easy. She had a very unique hair piece (one of its kind). We came to know of her condition through the grapevine. i felt morally responsible to befriend her as a “support group”, after all i had also been through a similar scare and survived!
In the very short time, we were to become good friends as i made every effort to comfort her, give her strength and motivate her to look at the many nice things in life.
Through all my efforts, I could see it in her eyes. They tell me that secretly she knows very well that her end is very near. One evening, at the hospice, she blurted it all out, “Uncle chen, kong pian oway” (“telling lies” in hokkien. Yes indeed, i had been telling her of many false hopes)
Those were the last words she had for me, before the cancer got the better of her and she lost consciousness.
!
The “first” LineDancer i know who had passed away. Also the “first” to have LineDancing at her wake.
“Ayoh! Marylou, this had been my idea, i wanted the honor but you had beaten me to it!”
One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots…..
(With fond memories of Mary Lim Soh Kim; 27 Mar 52 – 17 Jul 02)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mummy, You remain one of the bravest souls I have ever known. And I miss you today.
Dear GOD, thank You so much for the superhero mum you have blessed me with for 22 years of my life. Thank You that she can be with You today resting in peace and thank You that one day, we'll all be together again, in Your loving presence.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots...."
After months of struggling through her treatment upon the relapse of her illness, she finally surrendered her soul to be in paradise with the LORD. It was not an end. It was merely the beginning of a new life. She had gone forth to prepare the place for us to meet again someday. Err…to LineDance?
One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots…..that’s all she had with her as she lay in the “box”.
The wake was well attended. Her husband, Mr Toh, came up to me and whispered “Mary, had asked for you guys to do a dance for her. She had said something about a last ‘new’ dance she had learnt”
Yes, i recalled showing her “I will survive” at the Singapore General Hospital a few weeks back. Even as she teetered, she had managed the 32 count sequence!
i couldn’t get myself to dance in front of her coffin, but the Society’s “Young Guns” did! They even ingeniously changed the first count “shooting” hand-movement to that of a “salute”.
Our family first spotted Mary when we visited Riverside nearly 3 years ago. It was easy. She had a very unique hair piece (one of its kind). We came to know of her condition through the grapevine. i felt morally responsible to befriend her as a “support group”, after all i had also been through a similar scare and survived!
In the very short time, we were to become good friends as i made every effort to comfort her, give her strength and motivate her to look at the many nice things in life.
Through all my efforts, I could see it in her eyes. They tell me that secretly she knows very well that her end is very near. One evening, at the hospice, she blurted it all out, “Uncle chen, kong pian oway” (“telling lies” in hokkien. Yes indeed, i had been telling her of many false hopes)
Those were the last words she had for me, before the cancer got the better of her and she lost consciousness.
!
The “first” LineDancer i know who had passed away. Also the “first” to have LineDancing at her wake.
“Ayoh! Marylou, this had been my idea, i wanted the honor but you had beaten me to it!”
One hair piece, one dress, one bolo tie, one pair of boots…..
(With fond memories of Mary Lim Soh Kim; 27 Mar 52 – 17 Jul 02)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mummy, You remain one of the bravest souls I have ever known. And I miss you today.
Dear GOD, thank You so much for the superhero mum you have blessed me with for 22 years of my life. Thank You that she can be with You today resting in peace and thank You that one day, we'll all be together again, in Your loving presence.
amazing..tnx
ReplyDeleteyour mum is amazing. God is proud of her.
ReplyDeletei wish i got to meet you ms biko.. another brave saint has gone home to God. i couldn't believe it when i saw ms ida's post, but i shall see you one day together with my mother. thank you for the brave fight of faith you have put up the last few years.. your blog has left a legacy of faith for your children and those that will read it.
ReplyDelete