Remembering my Gran

My grandma was promoted to glory on Monday evening.
We called her PorPor and our kids call her Tai-Por.
She was tall and lanky, and would be 97 years old this year.
I was just jokingly telling PBea that she might just live long enough to be the oldest living woman in S'pore - only 5 more years to beat the record!

I remember her as a feisty old lady, never afraid to stand up for what she believed and wanted. So I suppose you can say my mom's feistyness and mine (esp for when people cut my queue or give me bad service) comes from her? :) She was strict, but often laughed. Towards these last few years of her life, she had only two front teeth left, but still would always be game for a KFC drumstick, MacDonald's, CNY cookies and all kinds of snacks.

We made a conscious effort to bring the kiddos to visit her more often in this last two years so that they would get to know her more, and vice versa. Despite the language barrier, they somehow always managed to make each other so happy. My Gran would just look at them, and smile and keep asking me to feed them more cos "Fatter is cuter". And each time she saw Alan, she would be trying to recall his name... and then will look at me and tell me how clever she thinks I am to have chosen such a wonderful and capable (and handsome - this she'll say in a whisper to me) husband.

Megan knows she's hard of hearing, so she would always go close to Tai-por's ear and call her. And Tai-Por is always telling Megan how much she loves it when Megan calls her. The last time we visited her, Joejoe decided to run and give Tai-Por a big big hug. When he grabbed her, Tai-Por lost her footing and went backwards a few steps... but was smiling such a big smile...


When I saw her lying in the coffin, I was so thankful the embalmer did such a wonderful job. She looked like she had a little smile and was in deep sleep, dreaming a happy dream. Indeed, she is in a happier place now, cos she's with her Maker. There is no more pain or discomfort, just joy and peace. And I know she must be happy living in a mansion and walking on streets of gold and spending time talking in Cantonese with Jesus.

I will always remember the way she called my name, the creases on her hands, her toothy grin, her voice. And like Ps Kelvin who ministered at the funeral service yesterday said, the only thing we can do for her now is to keep those memories in our hearts and mind, and continue living happily for her.

Por Por, we will always remember your smile and your love for us and your kindness.
Thank you for being a wonderful grandma.
And we will see you in Heaven one day.. :)