Of Wedding and a Funeral

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1 Wedding and 1 Funeral
Feel like I am in an emotional rollercoaster these 3 days... 3 days ago, I was extremely happy for a classmate who got married and 3 days now, I receive news of the passing on of an attachment supervisor. And the irony of it all, I am not close to both but feel such extreme emotions.

Last Saturday, I was invited to a fellow social work classmate's church wedding. Despite not being very close to her (there were occasions where I just didn't have much to say to her at the wedding besides the usual "hey congrats!"), I am just honoured she invited me and another social work classmate along. We are the only NUS friends she invited. The three of us went to the same agency for our attachment and we spent a good two to three months there with each another. I recall as she walked down the aisle, I felt such great joy and was grinning from ear to ear. And the children who walked down the aisle... aiyoh so cute! (Just in case you wonder if I have thought of going into a relationship, well yes... but maybe not the time yet). (Picture "Bridal Bouquet" by CraigPJ)

And to think that we were still talking about this supervisor just on Saturday and now, I just received news of her passing on just a few minutes ago... I made my way home with a heavy heart; I just couldn't believe the message I just received about her passing on... My memory of her was this stern looking lady who wasn't very friendly. In fact, I kinda feared her when I was there for attachment. There were a couple of occasion I went back but I just had nothing to say to her. To me, she was this strong, stern looking, serious lady of few words. Somehow, this "strong" image of her just did not click with the image of her being sick. So saddened now. Think I will go pay my last respects tomorrow. (Picture "Heavenly white tulips 2" by phpdesign)

God's Sense of Humour
Anyway, just a little update about "the friend who was beginning to hate me". He is the second NUS friend that was invited to the wedding. Somehow, I just feel that God has a good sense of humour to bring us together into contact in a church. Things are relatively fine between us; I mean at least we are talking again but we have not met each other after the last time we met. So anyway, we went for a simple meal at Gone Fishing and subsequently went to catch "World Trade Centre" since both of us had nothing on that day. Day ended with supper after midnight with dim sum at Swee Choon. Although we are not close friends like in the past but at least we are talking now again, though not much.

Movie about Calling
Anyway, I like the movie "World Trade Centre". Though it wasn't as touching as I thought it would be, you can really feel the anguish of the people trapped in the rubble when WTC collapsed (somehow don't dare to think how I will ever survive if I am in their shoes) and the anguish of loved ones when faced with the possibility that their spouse, friends, relatives, children and parents could be killed by the attack. Although the US marine who rescued the two police officers trapped in the rubble only appeared in the movie for a few minutes... the show, to me, was fundamentally about the calling of God; he was called by God to go to New York and in the end saved survivor number 18 and 19 (the two police officers in the movie). (Picture "New York, 1988 5" by 568222)

Stressful Week
The movie was a real treat after a whole week of stress and late nights, trying to rush out a website for an upoming event. Have been taking cab to work because I could not wake up on time (but then again, I am never on time for work). And I realised that bad habits die hard... despite all the affirmations received throughout the week about the website I did, I always tend to focus on the negatives and got upset when I saw a fellow colleague treated me as "transparent" and ignored me. Think she doesn't like me because of a recent email I sent; I was coordinating a training and managed to get approval and support from higher management. Since I had not heard from her about sending a rep to attend the workshop, I sent a reminder to her and mentioned about higher management's support for the workshop. I was later told that she interpreted my email as trying to "scare her with higher management and trying to tell her what to do"... well, if she is going to dislike me, I am cool... to begin with, I don't really have a good impression of her. Feels she behaves differently in front of bosses and those who she feels have no value for her at all. Anyway, can't really be bothered with her... I can't please everyone right?

God Grant Me Patience
God has been sending people who have struggles into my path and recently, I am working with this sister-in-christ who has attachment issue with another cell member. I won't go too much into it but then I sometimes cannot understand how God want me to work with her; it can be challenging working with her. Together with other cell group members, we try our best to support her but there are just times when we get so angry with her, it becomes so tempting to just give up on her. Her smses can also be hurtful and there were occasions I just did not want to respond to her smses because we felt she was going back into an unhealthy way of coping. (Picture "Don't Lose Your Patience" by mrsmas)

Anyway, thank God that she is making progress and decided to see a counsellor about it... we pray that things will get better and I pray that God will grant us patience in working with her; to help her to grow and overcome her struggles.