After my last blog “fan into flame the gift of God: my journey in the interpretation and translation ministry“. the preacher whom I mentioned in it shared with me that although she was the one who encouraged me years ago to spur me on my journey in the interpretation ministry, this time round it was…
Interpreter: translates orallyTranslator: interprets written text After a year of living life differently, I am looking back at my one-year journey of serving in the bilingual (English and Chinese) interpretation ministry of our church. A ministry that I committed to after overcoming the initial apprehension and resistance. I am not new to the ministry as…
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成长的过程就是破茧为蝶，挣扎着褪掉所有的青涩和丑陋，在阳光下抖动轻盈美丽的翅膀，闪闪的、微微的、幸福的颤抖。— 无名氏 两天前收到一位远方朋友捎来的问候。她说她正处于一个要把她视为贵重的物件分配好的人生阶段。她问了我的地址，说要把她的圣经送给我。这位朋友才六十出头，是我当年在英国留学时非常照顾我、和我交心及视我为家人的忘年交。 信里短短的几句话竟然让我呆了许久，也令我感触良多。很凑巧的，我和两位闺蜜最近也提到了一件必做但一直在拖延的事，就是立遗嘱。虽然我的产业不多，可是还是要把该交待的交待好。 在最近这几年，我在岁末或岁首都会来个自我检讨。今年与往年不同，在封国和封城的情况下，我有了更多的时间去反思… 想的远远超越这一年来的经历和感受。这长远走来的一段路，我有何收获呢？遗嘱里将说明的都会是一些身外物，我人生路上的起伏跌宕、尝过的甜酸苦辣和蜕变的过程就只能在这字里行间体会。这也许是几篇不成文的文章，也或许是多年后再拿出来读时，会令自己脸红的胡言乱语和一些零星的记忆而已。 过去两年出去转了一圈，让心流浪了一回，最终发现自己挂念的还是家。把放纵了两年的心情收回来，也把那七百多天的生活经历收进行旅箱后，回到老家，翻开人生新的一页。遗憾的是，事情并没想象中来的那么“完美”。虽然很快地找到了一份新工作，但却没有足够的时间让自己心理上得到松弛。投入新工作后，又因该死的“雄心万丈”而对自己过分的苛求，不自知的导致自己心力交瘁。最后的一棒是在面对混乱的行管令时，仍要有冷静的头脑处理公务，和带领不经事及不够镇定的团队。当时的压力排山倒海而来，我是招架不住了。所以当公司暂停营业和工作时间减少时，我立刻来个精神上的大休假。 这沉淀的季节给了我充足的时间好好地休息。能停下脚步，静观四周，没愧疚感地透一口气绝不是偶然。我终于学会了需要休息的时候就不要逞强，不然总会有倒下去的一天。心灵上的疲惫不容被忽视，累了就坦承累了，休息吧！ 这段蜗居的日子里我是名副其实“默默地”、“静悄悄地”生活。这是我有史以来第一次让自己进入半休眠状态，不理世事。单身确实有单身的好。家人和朋友最后也是无可奈何的接受我单身的事实。抱独身主义从来就不是我的意愿，只是路途上遇到的都不是我能托付终身的人。而且老套地说一句，岁月不留人 – – – 时间一年一年地过，而我也一年一年地想在事业上有所作为，回首时竟发现自己已成了“大龄剩女”！ 闺蜜曾透露说，当她看到我两年前庆生时的那份自信和知足，她释怀了！知我心的可以清清楚楚地看到形单影只的我有我的乐趣；我孤单，但是绝不孤独。那是积极面对现实、自得其乐的心态。每个人的际遇不一样，不必执着。我早已学会不与自己不能左右的事纠缠。 喜乐不是一个季节的事，而是一种生活方式。知足是不要只盼望着下一个季节的来临，而错过当下的岁月。 在这恬静的日子里我也没放弃学习的机会。虽然不能和其他充分利用这段时间而有大作为的人相比，但至少我寻回了当初对中文的热爱。我努力地恶补中文，希望能在教会翻译的服事上得神的喜悦。而我在闺蜜的鼓励下，也终于鼓起勇气第一次以中文写下这篇感想。当生活回归正常时，我还要尝试很多新的事物，让生活更精彩。人生是一连串的尝试、挑战和学习，不是吗？ 家人和朋友的关怀陪我走过了这大半个世纪。十几年前的我是自私、自我的。当时反省之后决定一定要定时抽空和家人相聚，尤其是父母已年迈。同时还要时时提醒自己要主动和家人及不常见的朋友问好。工作不是生命的全部，享乐主义也不应是我要追求的人生目标。特别是前两年我只身在外，他们的一句“我在这”，“我关心你”和“我想你”是多么的令人振奋。当我心情低落或遇到困难时，他们鼓励我，同时提醒我软弱不是丢人的事，不必糟蹋自己，也不要什么事情都自己一个人扛。所以我逐渐放下自尊和骄傲。 长长远远地走来，我从一个少不更事、青涩、倔强、轻狂和自以为是的黄毛丫头蜕变到今天的我… 生活的历练和上帝的恩典让我学会了沉着冷静、宽容宽恕、明智的取舍、站稳了脚跟和事事心存感恩。 人生的蜕变过程是漫长的，是要以一生细细地去承受、体会、品尝和歌颂的。在未来的日子里，我仍然要坚持无止境地学习，继续成长，放宽视野和万事皆仰望造物者。 我在泪眼婆娑中写完了这篇剖白… 感谢主的带领和永不间断的眷顾。也衷心感谢陪伴我一路走来或在半途遇到的旅者，你们和我一起成长、一起蜕变，着实地点缀了我的人生。谢谢你们的相陪、鼓励、关怀和爱。前面的路还远，来日方长，愿能与你们继续携手前往！
If you feel like you’re losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year and they still stand tall and wait for better days to come. — Unknown It was almost this time last year that I made the decision to change the course of my life. After indulging myself in 2 carefree years…
Turning down the volume of the world to listen to the whispers of God… When my country went into a partial lockdown to contain the pandemic in mid-March, I entered into a season a rest. I was in the state of near exhaustion at the time after I mercilessly drove myself hard into my new…
To stay at home for one whole month and practise social distancing is something unfamiliar and absolutely unprecedented for almost all of us. The Movement Control Order in our country was enforced from 18 March 2020 and has since been extended from two weeks to one month until 14 April 2020. Today is the 19th…
Isaiah 55:8-9 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. It has been a long while since my last blog. Many things have happened and changes taken…
“Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” — Betty Friedan (1921 – 2006, American feminist writer and activist) I love soft lighting and I used to read or do my embroidery in soothing soft lights in the evenings. Things however, started to change when I reached one of the…
I was planning my solo trip to Thailand when I found out my friend Vivian from home was going to be posted to the city of Melaka (English: Malacca). Without much persuasion, I decided to change course and head south instead of going up north. The historic city Melaka is only 1.5 – 2 hours’…
Early last year I took up a new challenge. I accepted a job offer in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and moved a thousand miles away to welcome the new season of my life. I celebrated my first anniversary of living away from home at the end of February this year. After 365 days, I have surely…
My home state Sabah, Borneo is famous for its biodiversity rich with wildlife. As a Sabahan, I am embarrassed to admit that I only started my domestic travelling in very recent years. With the short distance I have travelled so far, it is plain to see that I have only scratched the surface when it…
Happy New Year 2019! This time it took me well into the new year before I sat down and put my reflection for 2018 into words. I contemplate… The key word for my journey last year was “change”. Although change is inevitable and the only constant in our lives, the changes that took place were…
It was 5:30am and still dark when friends Ellen and Max came to pick me up. After a simple breakfast with roti canai and teh tarik at a 24-hour mamak store (Indian coffee shop), we were ready for our 4-hour southbound journey. Our destination was Kukup (龜咯), a fishing town at the south-western tip of…
When I started to notice many whom I believe are keen crafters or festive decoration enthusiasts checking my old blogs on Christmas crafts out, I was reminded that the special season of the year is fast approaching and the year will soon draw to a close. It seems like it was only a few short…
