“How are you, auntie?”
“I am well! And you, my girls?”
“We are fine, auntie. Please come right in!”
Hands were outstretched, one after another, greeting me. My cheeks touched theirs, young cheeks belonging to the bright faces in turn.
I placed my feet on the floor of the sparsely furnished living room, then swept them across the grass mat covering a section of the floor. I lowered myself, fronting one of the tiny tables laid down in a circle, putting my booklet on the surface of one.
“Right! My children! I must apologize for not coming here for the past three weeks. Was tied up with office work. But praises be to God, for today, I am able to be here, spending time with you and sharing what little bit that I have,” said I.
Heads nodded.
“Who can tell us where we stopped, the last time I was here?"
“Amongst the things that contribute towards character building. Which is, influence from friends and peers!” came a spontaneous reply, lifting her face from the little notebook wide open in front of her, her fingers twisting a blue ball-point pen.
“Good! But before that, what are the things that we must do from within ourselves to improve our own beings?” I asked.
“We need to seek for knowledge. Also to always be with knowledgeable people so that we may know what is right and wrong in developing our personality!” said another.
“What clever girls I have! And very hard working too! You have certainly done your homework in reading up what we have discussed before!” I said, my face beaming with a smile. Smiles greeted me back.
“Right girls! Today, we will be looking at how our personality may be shaped by our parents. So that, we may learn to appreciate just how much sacrifice and how big the hope that our parents have in us, the things that parents have to go through to bring us all up as good human beings!”
And so I began the subject of the study for the evening, sharing with them, the roles that parents may play in the process of nurturing young souls. Hands were vigorously trying to capture all my words. Hands belonging to sweet young faces, ardently and seriously paying attention as well as making notes here and there.
Every fortnight, I would steal some time off to prepare mediocre materials to be shared with these girls, occupants sorjourned in a shelter called the Rumah Perlindungan Raudhatus Sakinah (RS); a place which is located deep in one of the villages around Seberang Perai Selatan, on the mainland province in the state of Penang.
I remembered vividly, the first time I went. Nearly got myself lost on the way back because I was still not too familiar with the nooks and corners to and from there. Driving alone on the deserted road, I noticed there was hardly anyone or other cars, neither incoming nor from behind. The evening was slowly turning to dusk and the shadows indicated the pitter-patter of rain was about to fall anytime then. I must have missed a junction for as I drove on, the roads started to get smaller and smaller with oil palm trees that did not look quite familiar while I was on my way to RS earlier in the day. In front of me was just immense forest. My heart started to pound a bit louder and my instinct told me to get back the other way. Sure enough! A few kilometers and I could recognize the junction I missed!
I could not imagine how my good friend NM (also an RS volunteer like I am) could have ventured into this neighbourhood in the middle of the night upon an emergency phone call.
“One of the girls was about to give birth and somebody had to get her to the nearest hospital!” NM said.
What courage she must have had! To drive alone in the blackness (no street lights) as her husband works way down in Melaka and was only home on weekends. Even as I drove in the twilight, the surroundings gave me the creeps. I was not really scared of ghostly beings, just the thought of having your path being waylaid by a person or a gang of people with bad intentions. Masha Allah, I do salute her!
“I am well! And you, my girls?”
“We are fine, auntie. Please come right in!”
Hands were outstretched, one after another, greeting me. My cheeks touched theirs, young cheeks belonging to the bright faces in turn.
I placed my feet on the floor of the sparsely furnished living room, then swept them across the grass mat covering a section of the floor. I lowered myself, fronting one of the tiny tables laid down in a circle, putting my booklet on the surface of one.
“Right! My children! I must apologize for not coming here for the past three weeks. Was tied up with office work. But praises be to God, for today, I am able to be here, spending time with you and sharing what little bit that I have,” said I.
Heads nodded.
“Who can tell us where we stopped, the last time I was here?"
“Amongst the things that contribute towards character building. Which is, influence from friends and peers!” came a spontaneous reply, lifting her face from the little notebook wide open in front of her, her fingers twisting a blue ball-point pen.
“Good! But before that, what are the things that we must do from within ourselves to improve our own beings?” I asked.
“We need to seek for knowledge. Also to always be with knowledgeable people so that we may know what is right and wrong in developing our personality!” said another.
“What clever girls I have! And very hard working too! You have certainly done your homework in reading up what we have discussed before!” I said, my face beaming with a smile. Smiles greeted me back.
“Right girls! Today, we will be looking at how our personality may be shaped by our parents. So that, we may learn to appreciate just how much sacrifice and how big the hope that our parents have in us, the things that parents have to go through to bring us all up as good human beings!”
And so I began the subject of the study for the evening, sharing with them, the roles that parents may play in the process of nurturing young souls. Hands were vigorously trying to capture all my words. Hands belonging to sweet young faces, ardently and seriously paying attention as well as making notes here and there.
Every fortnight, I would steal some time off to prepare mediocre materials to be shared with these girls, occupants sorjourned in a shelter called the Rumah Perlindungan Raudhatus Sakinah (RS); a place which is located deep in one of the villages around Seberang Perai Selatan, on the mainland province in the state of Penang.
I remembered vividly, the first time I went. Nearly got myself lost on the way back because I was still not too familiar with the nooks and corners to and from there. Driving alone on the deserted road, I noticed there was hardly anyone or other cars, neither incoming nor from behind. The evening was slowly turning to dusk and the shadows indicated the pitter-patter of rain was about to fall anytime then. I must have missed a junction for as I drove on, the roads started to get smaller and smaller with oil palm trees that did not look quite familiar while I was on my way to RS earlier in the day. In front of me was just immense forest. My heart started to pound a bit louder and my instinct told me to get back the other way. Sure enough! A few kilometers and I could recognize the junction I missed!
I could not imagine how my good friend NM (also an RS volunteer like I am) could have ventured into this neighbourhood in the middle of the night upon an emergency phone call.
“One of the girls was about to give birth and somebody had to get her to the nearest hospital!” NM said.
What courage she must have had! To drive alone in the blackness (no street lights) as her husband works way down in Melaka and was only home on weekends. Even as I drove in the twilight, the surroundings gave me the creeps. I was not really scared of ghostly beings, just the thought of having your path being waylaid by a person or a gang of people with bad intentions. Masha Allah, I do salute her!
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