Saturday, February 28, 2004

The whole team went to Mr Teo (our teacher in charge)’s house for lunner (lunch + dinner) today. It was supposed to be a Crystal Jade treat, but it morphed into a lunner instead. Talk about down-sizing. Anyways his house was so cool! Simple yet sophisticated. Maybe I’ll get a house like that when I grow up.

His whole family – his wife and 2 pre-school daughters – were there. I was just sitting in a corner eating lunner and observing him and his daughters. I don’t know how, nor why, my eyes suddenly just stung with the sudden presence of tears. I felt my throat choke up, and I quickly blinked them away. His love for his daughters were so “in my face” it was almost spelt out right in front of me. This wasn’t any simple ‘I-love-you-because-you-are-my-daughter” type of love, it was a deep, resounding, rooted, and unchanging love. His daughters were so small in size sitting next to the burly (ex-water polo player) Mr Teo. Yet I could see the gentleness displayed in him. He let them climb all over him as he sat cross-legged on the floor, and he was always laughing that contented blissful hohoho kinda laugh. I could see how happy his daughters made him, and how they were already a large part of his heart. Now I finally understood why he was reluctant to stay overnight with us during training camps.

Maybe my eyes stung because I was touched by his love for his daughters, or maybe I’m tearing because I know that I’d never be able to share the same closeness with my own father. Or mother. Anyways one thing I was glad to have found out is that Mr Teo is a Christian! I have found another member of God’s family~ Such a wonderful feeling to know that amidst a cold and unfeeling world, there exists a warm network of brothers and sisters in Christ who will always welcome you no matter who you are.

writing at 11:10 PM

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