In the far haven of eternity

As o'er the stormy sea of human Life
We sail, until our anchor'd spirits rest
In the far haven of Eternity,...

~Robert Montgomery

Father passed away very peacefully on 25 Jan 2013 at the ripe old age of 102.  When I lost Mother 15 years ago, I was overcome with grief for losing a person who had loved me so unconditionally for as long as I know.  Now when I lost Father I feel I had also lost a large part of my life. Memories of my childhood and young adulthood with my parents came flooding back, both the tribulations and the happy times that we went through as a family.  But as I looked at him lying so peacefully, I try to convince myself that he is now in a better place where he is no longer weak and frail. 

We cannot destroy kindred

We cannot destroy kindred: our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break. ~Marquise de Sévigné

Tour of the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur with Father and Sis on 15 January 2013.  Thean Hou Temple, built by the Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association (clan association), 雪隆海南会馆 is 6-tier and is one of the biggest temples in Southeast Asia.   The temple is dedicated to Mazu, 妈祖, the Sea Goddess. The Mazu sculpture occupies the main shrine on the third floor of the temple. Next to Mazu are the Goddess of the Waterfront, 水尾圣娘, a Hanianese deity and Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, 观世音菩萨.  The Mazu birthday celebration in the Thean Hou Temple is supposed to be one of the largest held outside of China. The Mazu belief and custom has been designated as "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2009.

Korean barbecue with Sis on her birthday 14 January 2013

一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴

Translation: An inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of time cannot be bought with an inch of gold. 

This proverb tells that time is more valuable than money. Money spent or lost can be earned; time lost is lost for good. No money can buy it back. 

My re-furbished front yard

Mother's "must have" kumquat

Nurseries are enjoying brisk business in recent weeks due to the approaching Lunar New Year.  Flowers and and plants that have certain symbolic meaning are now in great demand.

One of these is the Mandarin orange kumquat plant.  Mandarin oranges are called ‘kum’ in Cantonese, the pronunciation similar to that for the word ‘gold’. Kumquat, therefore, is symbolic of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity.
 

Sister and I visited the nurseries nearby today. We were both reminded of how our late Mother used to ensure that a pair of kumquat plants were bought and placed at the entrance door every Lunar new year. CNY had not been the same anymore without Mother.