May 13, 2007, Sunday
The metallophone dedication in
Tuesday was great and still memorable.
It was the weekend of Symmes
Player performance for Priscilla. Yes, it
was a lot of fun to watch these third and fourth graders performing Disney
musical. However, it was still very
painful to watch the play that many of them were in the musical play last year
with Lydia. The memory of Lydia
determined to be part of the play last year and many group pictures with all
the cast, were just difficult to me.
Another yearly musical has come
and gone. Lydia’s life on earth did not
continue.
Then, it was Relay for Life. Many hundreds of high school students
participated this great event held by American Cancer Society every year around
the month of May in this district.
On Friday night, hundreds,
probably seven to eight hundreds of students and sponsors got together silently
at 10 PM to watch the slide show of Lydia’s life. (I did not make the slide show, I could not do it, too
painful. I gave pictures to a close
family friend, and he put into a movie file shown on Friday night.) It started with the picture taken on the day
Lydia was born, held comfortable in my arms, then her cute toddler pictures,
preschooler, kindergartener, grade school, then cancer hit, MRIs, surgery,
radiation, chemotherapy, hair loss, vomiting, being strong in attending musical
play, tennis, swimming, school, spelling bee winner, struggling, suffering, suffering,
and suffering, all the way until the day she died.
It was also my first time to watch
it. I cried so many times seeing Lydia
being so strong, and suffering so much.
Same with many other high school students, many wept, and continued
crying long after slide show finished, especially Esther’s many good
friends. As one of them said, Lydia’s
fight with cancer hit her hard in her life, very hard.
I am sure Lydia’s hero hour sent
very strong message to many who were there.
As to me, I just kept weeping and thanking people who came to comfort
me.
There were more than forty illuminating candle lights last years that Lydia
was very excited about. Seeing that
many people donate money to American Cancer Society in honor of her, made her
really happy. This year, there were
more than one hundred and fifty candle lights lighted up in memory of her
(thank you so much for your generous contribution, my dear friends and brothers
and sisters). If she got to see them (with Priscilla in the picture with these lights)
in heaven, she would be really really really happy. (Several “Really” together was the adverb Lydia liked to use a
lot.)
Then, of course, Mother’s day
today. I am glad it was not father’s day. (I don’t want any father’s day. It would bring me a lot of pain and sorrow.)
Mom was very busy all day
today. From leading the worship in the
church, help out the stage in the last performance of Symmes musical play, to
the bible study group gathering in the evening. She received many wishes of happy mother’s day. She gladly accepted them. No bitterness, just being graceful.
I greeted happy mother’s day to
many mothers whoever I met. (Happy
belated mother’s day if you are reading this now.)
That’s it. Being graceful and thankful. It does not help to blame, to complain, or
to whine. Yet, I just need to “Living
It ALL” like Lydia. Then, maybe God
have mercy that the End Time would come very soon. (2 Peter, 3:12-13)
