Moments to Remember

Posted on September 23, 2007 | Filed Under Testimonies

Moments to RememberMemories. They have a way of becoming very precious when one loses a loved one. My father died of end stage renal failure in 2003.

Coming to Singapore at a young age from the province of Swatow, China, life was far from easy for my father. His father died early from opium smoking, and as the eldest child, he took the responsibility of supporting his mother and three siblings, and subsequently, a wife and seven young children. Starting out as a fishmonger, he later became a fish merchant. “F”, as he is affectionately referred to by his three sons and four daughters, survived the Second World War, hiding in a large drain, and narrowly escaping being shot by Japanese soldiers.

Fond childhood memories include receiving a pair of black patent leather shoes (identical ones for my sisters too) from one of his business trips to Hong Kong. This non-verbal gesture of his thoughtfulness and care left an indelible mark on me, an eight-year-old girl then.

What were the best things F ever did for me? Two very significant ones - granting me permission to be baptized in April 1974, and, walking with me down the isle (the first time he stepped into a church!) and giving me away in marriage in May 1980. I am forever grateful to him for these precious moments in my life.

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