Your Legacy Lives On...

Dear Wai-lin,
You know what makes you so special? Not only to me but to everyone else who knows you?

Recently, I had the chance to talk to a lot of your friends, relatives, colleagues, students…some of whom I’ve never spoken to before. Through our conversations, I come to realize that you have got this “universal appeal” which everyone remembers so fondly of. (Pardon my English and at this early hour I can’t think of “THE WORD” or “PHRASE” to better describe it). “以平常心对待所有人，事与物” will be a better phrase to convey what I meant. I shall attach in my next blog this Chinese online article that describes aptly what is meant by “平常心”。

By “universal appeal”, I mean you come across to everyone as a bubbly, cheerful, positive and sincere person; you embrace life with energy, like to look at things from a positive angle and thinks that every person has a good soul. It is with this common approach to life that you’ve touched so many people with the same graciousness, openness and sincerity. True enough, we are humans, not gods. We are not infallible and do grumble a bit when the goings get tough. But everyone who knows you, knows that when you faced difficulties, you would pick yourself up pretty fast and take up the challenges bravely. My dear, you are so special in this sense and to me, as your husband, you’ve taught and inspired me a lot. Thanks to your constant encouragements and words of wisdom, I am where I am today in my career and life. It might not be a great one but at least it’s something that I worked hard for with you and something both of us can be proud of.

And like what you think of others, you have a kind soul too. Couple with that, you have a big heart. Your mum will always recall how you had helped those needy tuition kids of yours when you’re still schooling. Most often, you would forgo the tuition fees or spend the fees on assessment books for your kids. When you heard about the Asian Tsunami which took away so many lives, you were saddened by the news and immediately prompted me to make donations via the OCBC online contribution. Closer to home and to school, you would always tell me how some of your foreign students come from poor families and the difficulties they have to face to come to Singapore to study…. just to name a few instances.

So today, after discussing with your kind boss Regina and your parents, we have decided to donate part of your estate to RGS for the benefits of any needy students. For a start, Regina has kindly discussed with me and suggested giving out awards to the foreign scholars; the group of students who are closest to your heart. It’s a befitting cause and I am so glad that the school has given us an opportunity to contribute to a great cause. As mentioned in my previous blog post, I am so happy and glad today that I can do something on your behalf that makes you proud and happy. I am sure that you will celebrate this piece of good news with us. We know that you’ve always wanted to help those needy, to inspire those who tries hard to achieve and to reward those who achieves great results through perseverance. We can’t think of a better way to carry on your legacy than to make this contribution on your behalf.

My dear wife, to me, I mourn your untimely death; you have so much to offer to the world around us, to the people around you, to those who need your help and attention. The void you left in me and in so many of us is immeasurable. It pains all of us to think of not having you around, not around physically in narrow sense. But then again, you are actually still close to our hearts; fond memories of you still lingering, bringing smiles to us when we recall your familiar smiles, gestures and voices.

I would like to spend most part of my remaining life to reminisce those little actions of yours which touched so many people. You have lived a fruitful life, albeit a short one. You’ve accomplish more than a lot of people. You’ve contributed more to the society than a lot of people. You’ve touched more lives than a lot of people, including me. We are so proud of you; you left the world standing tall. I salute you. Your legacy lives on…