As a married Catholic lay woman, it is perhaps surprising (not least to me) that my personal vocation and the mission I have with my husband does not include children of our own. The moment people I meet know I am married, it is almost always followed up with the question, “Do you have children?” […]
Category: Family
Remembering those who hurt on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day isn’t a celebration for everyone. There are many who suffer their pain in silence on this day when everybody else is celebrating, and if you happen to be one of them, this post is for you. For those without a Mother to celebrate For those who never knew their mother, For those whose mother had […]
Breathing in the Pause
Today was the first time in more than a week that I felt I had ample space to breathe. No gathering to prepare for, no fridge to stock, no cards to write, no presents to wrap, no pile of dishes and cutlery to wash. There were chores to be done – our home needed to […]
Becoming My Father’s Daughter
Me and Daddy As far back as I can remember, I was never a “Daddy’s Girl”. My father’s not the sort of Dad that likes to indulge or pamper his “little princess”. In fact, what I remembered most about my father when I was a child was that he worked a lot. He had a […]
5 Principle Foundations of a Happy Marriage (in progress!)
From the time I was very young, I have been told that it is very important to keep Christ in the center of my relationships. But the thing was, nobody ever really taught me how to do that. I have heard many times over statements like, “Make sure God is in the center of your relationship,” or […]
The mystery that is ‘Family’
We celebrated Dad & Mum’s 40th Wedding Anniversary yesterday. It was simple – Sunday mass and family dinner. I was grateful how low-key and casual we all were about the planning. In my intense and dramatic family, “low-key” and “casual” can often feel like rare supernatural graces. I really love this family portrait we took yesterday. […]
Mother’s Day
To mothers near, to mothers far; To mothers here, to mothers no longer with us; To mothers who love tenderly, to mothers who scold us fiercely. To mothers when they were our idols, to mothers when they were our enemies; To mothers when we couldn’t sleep without their embrace, to mothers when we couldn’t wait […]
奶奶家 (Grandma’s Home)
This is the same kitchen where I celebrated my birthdays when I was younger than the little boy in this picture. This is the kitchen where I first tasted real Singaporean Milo (made with condensed milk), had white bread slathered with butter, and where I came to love chicken curry and lotus root soup. (And […]
Spiritual warfare
The best teacher is God our Father. The most amazing spiritual director to have is the Holy Spirit. Who else can use every aspect of my life to teach me? Direct me to literature that I need at a certain season in my life? And then supplement my readings with real experiences that bring to […]
God answers prayers (I): Mary
Last Saturday, during the follow-up to the Conversion Experience Retreat (CER) I attended, I had not intended to share any testimonies because I did not have any experience I really felt needed to be shared. But when testimony time came, as the facilitator was opening the session, I suddenly felt a strong prompting in my […]