19 May 2012 - Tonight, three old men in Persatuan Rumah Warga Emas Klang will be having a better sleep their new beds, thanks to 1Month 1Charity for their kindness in replacing the broken ones mentioned in my earlier blog. Chew, one of the young man behind the helm of 1M1C, was responsible for relieving these old uncles’ discomfort of having to put up with rickety and uneven beds. In addition to the beds, 1M1C also donated some new pillows.
Chew arrived earlier to supervise the delivery of the beds by the furniture shop’s lorry while we made a detour to a local night market nearby to purchase some local chinese snacks for the Home. Not knowing what the old uncles’ and aunties’ likes and dislikes, we decided on a few each of every kind of snack available. From their responses, the red bean “pau” (steamed buns) seem to be a favourite among them, with one guy gobbling down three and still asking for a fourth.
The three old uncles were obviously delighted with their new beds, one commented that he is glad he does not have to sleep in a broken bed anymore and another wanted to go to sleep immediately just to try out his new bed.
As Hubby went round to mingle with the uncles and aunties, Chew and myself had a fruitful conversation with the Home’s caretaker, Mrs Nanthan. In her bubbly and endearing way, she shared with us some of the residents’ history and conditions, their quirks and twists and also their gastronomic preferences. We found out that the old folks there prefer simple meals of vegetables and beancurd, preferably cooked in soupy style. Spicy food does not sit down well with some of their stomachs. Neither does hard-to-digest food. Mrs. Nanthan even imparted to us some of her home remedy for certain ailments like gout or cough or back ache.
Another discovery today is that the old folks will definitely welcome a bottle of tiger balm ointment or a bottle of medicated oil as most of them have aches and pains here and there. The same scenario also occurred in another Welfare Home we visited last year. As Hubby was giving out his small supply of ointment and medicated oil to a few, more came up to request it from him which made Hubby feel so bad when he ran out of supply. Never mind dear, we will bring more next time.
Before heading home we had a drink with our good friend, Chew. He, through his gift of kindness today played a part too in bringing cheer to this Home. Upon learning from us through our earlier visit on the need for the new beds, he immediately committed to get the beds for them and despite his hectic and over-burdened schedule, he took time off last Sunday to fulfill this but unfortunately the furniture shop was closed. Hence, the visit and delivery today. Even the mad rush here and there today did not deter him from fulfilling his commitment, such a remarkable guy. While at the Home, when Hubby introduced my sons to one aunty, he even jokingly referred Chew (who was standing next to him) as his son. Even though at that time I agreed in jest, in truth I would be proud to have a son like him. A young man with a strong passion for charity works, one who sees the true meaning of charity beyond donating of goods or money, one whose tiredness fade away when doing charity, one who despite his heavy workload and personal schedule still takes time to respond to a Home’s need… what more could a Mother ask for? Even though current circumstances does not allow him to devote his time in this area as much as before but nevertheless his mind never left charity works.
We hope that Chew’s fiery passion will not be dampened but will continue to lead him on in bringing cheer to the needy and lighting up the lives of the poor and helpless.
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