International Women's Day (IWD) Special!
(Don't forget to check out our special event for the ladies on IWD - Thursday 8th March 2018!)
“‘Mum and I’m coming to see you’ - then everyone comes.”
Some people are magnets. They bring people and joyful times together. And in a society where we’re all so busy, this is crucial. We might not live at home, we work overtime, or relocate overseas, have kids to care for and have a million chores and admin to do. So creating time for family and nurturing relationships is tough. But no matter how tired she is, and how much her hip or shoulders hurt, Jessy is the keystone of her family. When she’s away, the family do their own separate things. When she’s around, someone says ‘Mum and I’m coming to see you’ - then everyone comes and the family bonds. Her culinary skills are superb, (which definitely helps!) and she always makes time to teach and listen to her grandkids - so much so that they respect and love her beyond measure.
Her granddaughter seeks out her advise, listens to her, and when I asked the granddaughter if she likes talking to nana, she replied that she prefers to listen to nana’s stories. What are these stories? The stories of Jessy's life. The stories of lessons we all need to learn: how to be patient, compassionate and humble.
Jessy struggles to find time for herself, as she always puts her family first. But she's now finding a balance between giving her all for her extended family and time for her own interests and self care. She sets aside time to seek chiropractic care to ease her hip and back pain, as well as a very chronic and severe shoulder injury. In the past, wearing clothes was a difficult and painful task. Now and again it flares up, but is so much under control. And as for her hip, it's come a long long way and she's able to walk and stand for extended periods of time with much less problems. What really stands out for me though, is her kindness and that she's always grateful. I've received packed lunches of her home-cooked goodness, and she even gave me an ang pow for Chinese New Year this year!! =] (and I'm not so young!)
So even in the most simplest of ways (and yet so powerful), there are people around us that do amazing things. To see how she has positively impacted the people around her. I hope she continues to create more memories and more togetherness with her family.