Another year older...

Another year wiser, so they say. Today, my Grandpa & Grandma in spite of their hearing difficulties (they are 94 and 90 respectively), called from Malaysia to wish me "Many Happy Returns." I miss them a lot during this time of the year; with X'mas and New Year just around the corner.

Today is also Eid-al-Adha or Hari Raya Haji/Korban (Feast of Sacrifice) in Malaysia. It's a public holiday to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as God had instructed him. Of course, we all know that this was just a love test by the Great One and a sheep/ram later took the place of Abraham's son on the sacrificial table.

If Abraham found today testing some two thousand years ago, I too felt tested in some way. It is not because I'm a year older but because of the physical distance between my grandparents and I. I wish I could be there for them during their twilight years but we don't know what God's plans are for us, so we have to carry on with our lives as it is.


Though I won't be home with them for the holidays, I am looking forward to seeing them next year. 2008 is an important year for both of them. Grandpa & Grandma were married in June 1938. Next year is their 70th. Wedding Anniversary. If we look at the list of wedding anniversaries, there's no specific gem associated with this anniversary. That aside, my grandparents are definitely not looking for diamonds or platinum. What they are yearning for is never material and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what matters most to them. Family.