Ah, it has been 11 days since I last wrote. Not good at all in trying to keep up with blogging. Anyway, I will keep going at it..... slowly...
This morning while on my way back from morning walk at the padang, I stopped by to chat with an elderly lady who was just about to attend to her patch of vegetable and herbs by the road side. Our conversation range from usage of the different types of herb and vegetables she planted to her personal life story. Much to my amazament, she was much at ease in telling me about her family background, her current life and the hardships and blessings she is going through. She is already in her eighties and still have a surviving husband who is 102 years old. He stays in a room on the upstairs of the home and eats 7 meals a day. Although he is fairly able, she has to attend to all his needs. His medical bills are a big burden on their children and she was rather sorry for the state of affairs. I had a sad tug to my heart when she reveals that she had to sell some of the vegetables and herbs planted from that small patch to supplement the family's burden on medical bills for her husband. She sells them at the nearby morning markets and said that she was always bless in meeting kind people who were willing give space for her to display her wares. At one stage she was able to help out with the bills with her savings of RM500 from the sales of her vegetables. It almost brought me to tears hearing her plight. But her cherry and optomistic outlook made me marveled and looked at her with respect. She accepted that this is her life and fate and would willingly carry on as long as she can. She apologised and said that she should not have lamented so freely about her life to me. I assured her that I was thankful that she had so willingly shared her experiences in life with me and hope that she felt good talking to me.
Her knowledge on herbs were learned from her mother who was a nurse with the Red Cross. She also has two books on usage of herbs which she refers to. At one stage doctors have advised that her diabetic husband's leg had to be amputated. She was desperate and at a loss as it would incur thousands of ringgit which the family could hardly afford. She search her mind and remembered that her mother had used a certain herb to cure the wounds of soliders who were injured during the war. Her efforts paid off. Her husband's wound healed and the leg was saved. The herb which I could identify was "Daun Kaduk". She offered to give me some saplings of that plant and also the sugar cane from her plot. On noticing the scanty number of plants which were overgrown with grass and weeds, I declined saying that I will accept it some other time when I could find space in my garden. We parted with happy greetings and assurance that we will catch up again when we meet.
What a marvelous lady. I, for sure would have a lot to learn from her.
Thought of the day:
When you think the world has turned it's back on you, take another look.
