Friday, August 14, 2009

Charity in Action - Sister Cathy

Being with the sisterhood of Relief Society has been a wonderful blessing in my life. When I was expecting my first child 19 years ago (and a new convert then), the sisters willingly shared with me their experiences and pregnancy tips.

I'm especially thankful to Sister Susie How, who constantly called me up to check on my progress when she found out that my baby was due. As a first time 'mature' mother-to-be (and being far away from my own sisters), the thought of going through the birth process was rather worrying and Sister Susie's calls had certainly been reassuring and comforting to me! And especially so when I went beyond the due date and she kept up with me every day till my baby was born. After the birth of Johann, she shared with me parenting tips and gave me a book that I still treasure till today!

Sister Joyce Yong's help for the first year of Johann's life will always be remembered with much fondness as I've learnt so much from her in the area of child discipline for her children are a great reflection of her mothering skills!

By the time Eriene, my second child came along, I no longer needed the services of a confinement lady as Sister Jenny Han was around to take my maid to the market every morning and taught her the dishes to cook for me to help me recover fast from the rigours of child-birth! Sister Jenny is one sister who is ever ready to give her time and energy at a moment's notice and I will always be appreciative of her.

I have always enjoyed Sister Geok Lee's sharing of her children's milestones with me and from her, I learnt about academic excellence and multiple talents. When my children excel, she deserves the credit too for she showed me the way!

Of course, there are many other sisters (too many to name them all but they know who they are :-)) who came bearing gifts for my babies and generously shared with me their experiences about children in particular, and life in general. To all these sisters who have touched my life with charity, kindness, generosity, and patience, I will be eternally grateful to you :-).

I know that I have not been able to return the favour to them; so to show my appreciation and gratitude, I'll make myself available to other sisters who are in need of my listening ears and companionship.

So Sisters, just remember that I'm on call for you. This will help me return the favour to all the wonderful sisters who have done much for me :-)