Those who really know me know that I come from a big family, but few really know how big it is. The size of my family is a rarity now, in fact it is something that I am proud of, and thankful to Papa God. As the day of me moving away from this big household is drawing closer, and this being the first time that this huge family would be living apart, a sentimental sense of not willing to change this fact surfaces.
We, as a household, are made up of 3 different generations, and we stay in a moderately spacious house. It consists of my mom, who holds the family together, my eldest brother, myself, my second brother and his family. (If any of you out there are already speculating, let me assure you, there is no dispute in my family that requires us to live separately.) Not many people will believe, for such a large household, where there about 10 persons under one roof, (during weekends, it is even larger, as my sister and her son come over to stay, and during Christmas, the entire extended family, which includes all my other grownup nieces and my 3rd brother’s family come over) the family is most of the time full of peace and joy, I would say it is almost like an ideal family. (This happens ever since everyone of the family comes to know the Lord.)
I have 4 siblings, being the youngest. As a family, we went through thick and thin together. We had faced challenges in the past, yet all these were not able to weaken the bond but rather built up the love and trust over time. We cherish and we enjoy time being together. In my memories since I was seven, I never had a moment in life where there are no children in the family, and as far as I could remember, it is always noisy, lively and there are constant additions to the household.
My mom, my eldest brother and I are moving away next month, to settle into our own cosy little flat. Be it so, we still choose to stay close together with my other brothers, in the same district. One thing for sure, there is no longer a need for me to take a feeder bus to the MRT station, as it is just a few minutes walk away. There is no need for the 10 minutes late night walk to the 24hrs roti prata shop, as I will soon live right next to a popular food center.
On the other hand, I will definitely miss my 3 young nephews and niece, whom I stayed with for the past few years. There will not be someone who will greet me “Hao Peng You” (good friend in Chinese) when I reached home at night. There will not be someone who would fight with me for the TV remote control. There will not be someone who would share my pack of instant noodle late in the night. Thus, it seems like although I would gain some things, yet there are some precious things I can only hold as memories in the future.
How I would miss all these wonderful, simple, little moments. Yet I still believe that all things will work together for good and that no amount of distance shall be able to separate this strong bond that holds the family together, the bond being established by the love of God. Thanks, Daddy in heaven, surely You will see to it.
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