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DEAR have given me more time to get to know my earthly father better? He taught
Heavenly Father, if I had fulfilled my duties as Your son, would You

me many things— how to be observant and cautious, to help others when-
ever I could. But I never got to know the man as a person. Now I will never
GOD know what he liked; I will never know what it was like for him growing up

during the war. I will never know how he felt when he first met my mother.

Thanks to You, Father, I have managed to stay stoic in front of my
WONG QIAN TONG family up until today’s funeral. However, at the funeral, I couldn’t stand it. My
tears flowed uncontrollably for the first time since I was a teenager. If I had
known that he would leave so soon, I would have been the perfect son. I would
have spent more time with him instead of dedicating myself to purchasing
a more comfortable house for him. I would have helped him fulfill all of his
dreams. Would You have granted him more time if I had listened to all of his
Dear God, I thank You for giving me a flesh and blood father who lectures without complaint? Would You have added more years if I had learnt
made sure I stayed on the right path even though I have always shut myself to become your Son? Why didn’t You tell me You were taking him away from
from You. I confess I have never felt that I needed You. But now, without him, me so abruptly? Whatever the reason, I now put my faith in You. Help me con-
I feel lost. I’ve lost the path to You, and thus so to life. Why, oh why, did You tinue on with my life and make my father proud in heaven by Your side. Amen.
have to take him away from me before he could help me reconnect with You?

Just five days ago, I was at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur attending
a company event. When I checked my phone after reaching my room,
I found that my elder brother had called me multiple times. When
I called him back, he told me that our father’s condition had wors-
ened. The image of my dying father spurred me to take immediate
action and I left for home right after giving my boss a quick explana-
tion. After hurriedly packing our bags, my wife and I left for Malacca.

Why couldn’t You make him stop smoking? If only he had changed
his lifestyle, he might have lived to be a hundred. But even as I stood by his
bedside, I knew that he wouldn’t make it through the week. He would only
be able to see my niece from heaven. He would never be able to witness
the birth of my children. I only feel content that he was able to witness my
wedding before being hospitalized. If You brought him back, I would spend
all my time with him until he adopted a healthy lifestyle. It was unfair to
take him away from my grandmother. With six other siblings and a hectic
work life to ensure his children wouldn’t have to grow up in poverty, my
father didn’t commit any of his spare time to me, and I the same to him.

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