Friday, March 18
4. The Email.
We went home after lunch.
Sometime in the afternoon, Mom checked her email and found a forward from Aunty B. It was a macrobiotic remedy to help people counter the effects of radiation that have been rumored to have leaked from the Japan nuclear plant in the recent earthquake and tsunami catastrophe.
The suggested remedy was written by the founder lady of WOODs MACROBIOTIC restaurant in Bangsar.
Mom recalled the period when we were on this macrobiotic diet. The whole family. We adopted the diet after your 2nd recurrence. Not strictly though. Just as much as we could reasonably follow. It wasn't an easy diet to adapt to, but it was the only thing that made sense at a time when nothing else did.
We were WOODs' regular customers for a period of time.
5. In Church.
It was raining lightly as we were driving to Church.
Justine said, "It rains every Friday la ..."
Sorrowful Mystery ...
All the rain signifying tears from Heaven ...
Being a weekday, the church was not sardine - packed as on weekends. Justine and Mom arrived fashionably late. Please tell Jesus we're sorry about that. There was a bit of traffic getting to church ... because of the rain, we think. Dad was meeting us there, and he was late too.
We half-ran to the entrance of the church just as the commentator was starting on The 1st Station.
Quietly, we slipped into an empty pew somewhere at the back of the church.
Mom sat right in the middle of the pew with Justine on her right. Two pews in front of her, was girl wearing a black tee with rather large bold words at the top of the shirt that said,
D A N C E R.
No one was sitting in front of Mom, so this word DANCER was positioned directly in front of your mother's sight the whole time during the Way of the Cross and the Mass that followed thereafter.
D A N C E R
Since our trip to Lourdes, the Way of the Cross has never been the same for your mother. It used to be a boring, regimental and meaningless exercise of "kneel stand kneel stand kneel stand pray" for each station.
Mind You, there are 14 stations, as You know.
Now ... now these events, at each station, are real to her.
As the reflection progressed from one station to the next, this word DANCER was just sitting right there, staring back at Mom. Your mother couldn't avoid if, even if she tried.
During our time in church, Mom found herself immersed deep in her own thoughts. Soon memories of You began to flash through her mind, one after another, with fleeting affairs with the flirtatious DANCER word bouncing back and forth in her head.
Suddenly ... quite suddenly ...
Mom received a ZAP ...
She blinked ...
OMG ...
She saw the light ...
D A N ...
Why, of course ...
No wonder she had kept looking at the word ...
Would You believe it but all this while, Mom had not noticed the DAN word at all? She had been looking at DANCER the whole time, that she had missed seeing the DAN word. Makes sense to You?
Mom quickly turned to Justine to share her discovery.
Your sister at the same time, turned to Mom with an incredulous look on her face.
Mom thought Justine was thinking the same thing, the DAN word.
Mom leaned over to whisper, "OMG, see that? Dee - Aye - Ann ..."
Justine narrowed her eyebrows before giving Mom that look. She appeared to be rolling her eyes with impatience. At that point, Mom could almost hear You muttering like You and Jus sometimes do,
"Aiyoh Maa, You're so slowww ..."
Mom asked under her breath, "What?"
Jus whispered back, "Is that what you're looking at? Look at
the song!"
Huh???
Mom turned to look at the wall. She was not aware that the projector had flashed the title of the Communion song.
Oh
My
Lord
Mom couldn't believe her eyes.
FOR THOSE TEARS I DIED
OMG ...
Which means, at the very second that Mom was about to tell Justine about DAN, Justine was about to tell Mom about THE SONG, FOR THOSE TEARS I DIED.
Simultaneously.
Oh my, You wanted us to know that it wasn't just a hymn they happened to put on ... it was YOUR SONG -
DAN's Song, FOR THOSE TEARS I DIED.
Mom sang this song to You at your Farewell Mass on January 21, 2010. She has not heard this song sung in church since then, until today.
It was so amazing to spot your DAN and at the same time saw the title of the song on the wall!
It was at Lourdes that your mother remembered this song FOR THOSE TEARS I DIED because everyday then, we were taking You for your bath (water) at Our Lady's Grotto. Then one day, Mom found herself singing, as she was getting You ready for your date with Mama Mary, that's what You called your daily visits to the grotto,
And Jesus said
Come to the water
Stand by my side
I know You are thirsty
You won't be denied
I felt every tear drop
in the darkness You cried
And I strove to remind You
That For Those Tears I Died
and since then, we were singing this song daily for the next 4 months, until Jesus carried You home.
The song is magical, and is able to empower us during our most difficult moments.
Before Mom could get over the ZAP, the next song, Thanksgiving Song came on.
Mom threw a glance at the lyrics on the wall. Her hand instinctively went up to cover her mouth as she gasped.
Oh
My
Gosh
You have got to be kiddin' her ...
The congregation started singing ...
Under The Weight Of The Wood
OMG ... Wood???
WOOD???
Zzzzzaaaa -- pppp!!!
Zzzzzaaaa -- pppp!!!
OMG ... that email she read in the afternoon.
What are the chances??? Seriously, what are the chances???
What an incredible coinciDANS!
TWO ZAPs in church, one after another.
A strong message, surely.
To say that your mother was overwhelmed would be an understatement. She was over - the - top filled with sheer unspoken joy. What a perfect close to the evening, especially when today had been solemn and heavy with her own personal sorrowful reflections.
In the car, as Justine was driving out of the church compound, her song BORN THIS WAY came on the radio. Mom pointed at the time on the dashboard.
See Call 152 : God Is
It was 7:44 pm. :D
Need she go on?
Nah ...
By the way, Dad mentioned that this song is gonna be banned in Malaysia.
Pause.
If You think that was going to hamper the excitement of all the ZAPs we got today, think again. :D
Thank You, Son ... today was just perfect! <3
God is so good .... <3<3<3
At the time of writing this entry, Mom checked the date and time of Aunty B's email with the WOODs' message.
The date : 18/3/2011 ...
Decode : 44 4 4
The time : 8:35 am ...
Decode : 44 44
O -- M -- G ...
All her angel signs ...
See Call 43 : Angel Sign
Oh Wow ... What a message.
Jesus suffered under the weight of the WOOD and died for us so we could have eternal life. Everlasting life. When we left your garden this morning, You reminded us of God's promise through the IF I DIE YOUNG song. A hundred and one songs could have come on, right at that moment when we hopped into the car, after spending some time at your garden, but it had to be this one ... this one, that assured us You are safe and sound with God:
Lord, make me a rainbow
I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with You
As she stands under my colors
The Band Perry.
Thank You Jesus, for dying on the cross for us ... <3
