Father's Day...a sad one...

Last Sunday was Father's Day and it was the day I so wish my dad was alive. Now sitting here typing this I have tears in my eyes and wishing my dad was still around. He was a man who had so much love to give to everyone around him. So today's blog, is in remebrance of him, the best dad anyone in the whole wide world could ever have....

And here's a beautiful write-up on my dad by the HLS ppl....it brought tears to my eyes....and made me miss him even more....thanks for keeping my dad alive in our hearts. Everything that is written in here is exactly what my dad is.....I LOVE YOU DAD!!! and I MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!

In Memory Of HLS 1st Director, Mr. Joseph Yee Nin Kah

Uncle Joe (Mr. Joseph Yee Nin Kah) , the first Director of Human Life Service Centre, had in his office which was located on the second floor, the following prayer pasted on the wall.It was somehow a reflection of his life:

Seek to be Generous

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous ,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for a reward;
save that of knowing that I am doing your will.
Amen.

Uncle Joe was called to rest on August 4th (2004). While he was alive, he was known to be an active, cheerful and warm person to everyone. His sudden passing has left everyone stunned and feelings of heaviness began to fill everyone’s heart. The whole experience felt like a dream, a dream which everyone wanted to wake up from, but was inevitable.

Days after the funeral, we resumed our work at the centre. The day-to-day activities in the office were also back to normal. However, it was only then that we started to realize that Uncle Joe’s desk was empty, and suddenly it hit us, that Uncle Joe would never return to work with us anymore…

In 1994, Uncle Joe, aged 48 then, resigned from his comfortable and highly paid job to accept the challenge given by the bishop (Bishop Anthony Lee) of the Catholic Church, Miri Diocese, to establish a centre that would focus on “pro-life”. As one could imagine, to start such an organization with zero resources in hand requires one to put in a great deal of time, dedication and effort. However, under the leadership and guidance of Uncle Joe, and with the help offered by many volunteers, all the hard work finally paid off. The result was the birth of “Human Life Service Centre” on 15th October 1995 Subsequently, on 19th March 1996, “Human Life Service Centre” set up a shelter home called the “St. Jospeh’s Home”.

Uncle Joe’s favorite phrases were, “Don’t worry, just trust in the Lord” and “Nothing is impossible for the Lord”. It is this belief that has kept Human Life Service Centre in existence till today. Now, even without Uncle Joe’s presence, his spirit will continue to live in our hearts. When the centre encountered numerous difficulties and challenges, Uncle Joe would always hold strongly onto his belief. His compelling determination and spirit has given the rest of us the courage to continue to strive and fight against the culture of death, so that the joy of life can be celebrated by all corners of society.

Uncle Joe has undoubtedly shown us his genuine love for life. He always gave his best into everything that he did, whether big or small. He humbled himself by offering to educate us on the use of personal computers, designing newsletters and magazines. He even hung banners, carried tables, chairs and tools for exhibitions. Occasionally, he would go to the St. Joseph’s Home to mow the lawn, repair what needed to be fixed, etc. He always said, “Do not complain. Do what you need to do.” No matter how exhausted he was, he never showed it. Instead there was always a smile on his face and he was always cheerful with everyone at work. When we faced problems, difficulties and pressures at work, he would always come in to light up the atmosphere in order to calm us down. When we needed someone to talk to, he was always there to lend us his ears. There was never an ‘employer-employee’ kind of relationship between Uncle Joe and the rest of us who have worked with him. Often, we shared with each other our lives’ experiences and knowledge. We also gave support and encouragement to each other.

The job of a “pro-life” follower is not as glamorous as it seems to be. We have to fight a continuous battle against the culture of death. Abortion, contraception, euthanasia, pre-marital sex, domestic violence, pornography, etc., are all examples of the culture of death which depletes the meaning and value of life. Sadly, this “culture” has already penetrated tenaciously into our homes and society at large. In his quest to fight against the strong grasp and influence of the culture of death which destroys precious lives, Uncle Joe had always been cleared and committed to his mission and direction. This resulted in a variety of pro-life activities being organized to aim at alerting the society of the meaning and understanding of life – “Life begins from the moment of conception, whereby respect should be given from that moment on. Most importantly, this innocent life should be granted the right to live”. Thus, the Human Life Service Centre started to make its journey into the rural areas in 1997, spreading the good news of life to all.

Batu Niah was the first destination that the Human Life Service Centre had arrived for such a mission. Following after that, each year from July to October, Uncle Joe and all staff involved would be busy planning and preparing for the journey to other rural areas to give talks. We would often invite along volunteers for the travel. The areas which we have covered throughout the years include Baram, Limbang, Lawas, Lapok, Belaga & Brunei Darussalam.

In March that year, during an interview with a news reporter, Uncle Joe remarked, “The value of life is not measured by how much we own, but by the way we live it. The life of a cleaner is not worth any lesser than yours or mine. His contribution to the society has also been assured. We cannot judge a person’s life by looking at how big or small at the things he does, or how much he has contributed. Instead, as a member of society, we should carry the responsibility of showing love and care to the people around us as well as to see and appreciate the value of life in others. Only then will we be able to build a loving and respectable society.”

For one to protect life, one needs to understand the fundamental meaning of life. “Human life is a gift received in order then to be given as a gift.” Therefore, we should take the responsibility to protect life, and to offer ourselves “as a gift ” to others through our love. Uncle Joe had indeed lived a life which ‘he was giving himself as a gift to others’. That spirit was so strong that even during the last moments of his life, he was still working hard, serving others. During the nine years of toil, Uncle Joe has planted the seeds of love and care in the hearts of the people. We believe that his hard work will not be wasted. The seeds will continue to grow and bear fruit one day.

Taken from: http://www.hlsmiri.org/history.htm

Again, I love you dad, I love you so much...

This Blog is Especially Dedicated to My Dearest Late DAD, "I Love You and I Always Will!"

Before I go on and blog about the things i did in KL....I'm dedicating this particular blog space to my dearest dad...he made me who I am today...I wouldn't be what I am today without him...

This is a letter I wrote especially for my late dad 4 years ago. I'm posting it in here for his 4th year anniversary of leaving this earth. Was previously posted in my multiply 4 years back. He passed away on the 4th August 2004 and last Sunday (3rd August 2008) it was 4 years since I last saw him...he's my inspiration in life and he means the world to me.....I miss you so much DAD!!! (Didn't think you would have left us so soon but God knew best and he knew it was time for you to go. After the numerous heart attacks you've gotten over the years, its really a miracle you survived this long and I thank God for that. You've worked so hard all your life and now its your time to rest and take a break. I love you dad and I bet you're having a time of your life in heaven with God).

To my dearest darling daddy,

I really still can't believe you're gone, it's just so unreal. Honestly, I never expected that the night before you passed away would have been the very last time I would see and talk to you. If only I knew, then probably I wouldn't have slept at all. Never in my wildest dream would I have expected such a thing to happen. I knew you had heart problems but in away I was hoping that God will take care of you and keep you alive a little bit longer. I thought maybe I'll have another 5 years or so with you, so that my children could see what a wonderful grandfather they had. Remember the times when I use to joke about how you would spoil my children. I really wish you could have seen them.

So, you really can't imagine how shocked I was to learn of your death. I don't think I was as shocked as the hundreds of other people in church, but shocked enough. I remember that when I got the call about you fainting, in my heart I was telling God, let this not be the last time I see my dad. But it was. And for that whole week, I can't tell you how many times I wake up in the morning wishing it was just an awful nightmare and that when I got out of bed, you would still be there, walking around the house.

The first day of going back to work was really the day that actually made me realize that you were really gone, because I couldn't pick up my handphone and call you to talk to you and hear your voice anymore, which I miss so much. How I wish I could get a phone call from you too, Isn't there a phone in heaven dad? Maybe you could make a long distance call J and chat for awhile. Anyway, not hearing your voice anymore is really painful. I know I should be thankful to God that I had 25 years of living with you, compared to many other children who lost their dads at a younger age, But somehow it was not enough, I think no matter how long you lived, it would never be enough, because you were such a great dad.

Dad, I really do miss you a lot. I miss those lunch times we usually have together and the times when you use to pick me up from work. I miss sitting with you in church during morning mass, and how I wish I could still sit with you again. I miss you conducting in the evening mass choir and I miss hearing your voice when you sing. I miss you laughing infront of the choir when you use to start singing first before it was actually time to sing and how you use to make all the songs a note higher than it actually was. I miss the way you always try to make sure the sound system in the church was working well and the way you kept on asking me whether I can hear clearly or not. I miss the way you always take note of the words that some of the readers could not pronounce, so that you could tell them later about it, because you always believed that by reading clearly and from the heart, the word of God would be proclaim and would be able to touched the hearts of all those present. I miss the way you kept on rushing all of us to get to church early so you could make sure that everything was ready before the mass started, especially during special occasions, where you would usually be around the church compound the whole day preparing for whatever needed to be taken care of. You always wanted everything in church to be perfect because your intentions were to make sure that everyone gets closer to God.

I remember the time when there were people who use to criticize you for doing all the things you use to do in church, saying things about you which they should not say. And I remember telling you to let them do what you are doing so that they know what it is like to be in your shoes. And all you said to me was "Let them criticize me for doing God's work, because it is ok to be criticize for God." As much as you possibly could you were always so positive about people, which I myself have yet to learn. Then again there was this time when you had a disagreement with some people and from what I heard, I didn't think it was your fault. So, when I heard that you actually made the first move to say "sorry", I was actually quite upset and I told you that you shouldn't have done that, that they should have said sorry first. But all you said to me was "It doesn't matter who says sorry first."

Besides that, I miss you sooooo terribly at home. The home seems so quite without you. I remember how I use to go into your room and talk to you and we would joke around with each other, but now when I enter your room, I don't find you there, it's sooooo empty. I also remember the times when I use to come back from work and I use to sit with you behind the house and we would talk about the things that we have both done that day and at the same time you would be doing your crossword puzzle and talking to mommy as well. It's really amazing how you could do so many things at one time. Not only at home but at work too. It was good when you were around but not so good now that you are gone.

And remember father's day this year when you read the card that I gave you and in it, it said that I want you to live for 20 more years, and you said "Wah, so long!" and I said, "Of course!!!". I guess in a way you were always prepared to go back to our Lord and some way or another you knew you wouldn't live that long. I remember praying to God many times telling him to give you long life as you still had so many things to do on earth for Him, but He knew best and He took you home to where you really belong. And honestly, even though I'm sad that you are gone and I miss you so terribly, I am also so very happy that you made it to heaven. You achieved the one most important thing in life, and that is graduating from the University of Heaven with a Bachelors Degree in Pro-Life (with honours). You may never have achieved your goal in getting a degree here on earth but finally you've got one there in heaven, which is ten million times more difficult to get (and I know how badly you wanted one) and I guess it was Convocation time, and that is why God brought you back home to heaven. Congratulations DAD!!! I'm so proud of you! but I wish God would have told me about it sooner, that way, we could celebrate here on earth first, but its okie, when I get to heaven, we will celebrate together, so be patient ya! J By the way, how was the Convocation celebration???

Before I conclude, I want you to know that I love you sooooo much and please do forgive me for all the times that I have hurt your feelings without realizing it. I would also like to thank you so much for being such a loving dad, not only to our family, but to all those children who were around you who needed a father figure. See!!! So loving wan you!!! You had so much love to give!!! and that's why I love you soooooooooooooo much! Besides that, you always made sure that we (your biological daughters and all your adopted children) put God first on our priority list and by your actions we knew that you were serious about it. You always wanted the best for us so that we all could get to heaven one day.

Oh yah! One more last thing dad, please watch over Mom, Me and Jess and pray for us to make the correct decisions in our everyday life. So that in whatever things we do, we will not offend Our Heavenly Father in any way. And did you know that I'm having a fantastic time bonding with mommy, well, I just had to let you know. Many many hugs and kisses.

P/S. You will be in my heart, my thoughts, my everything. And don't forget to save a seat for me up there in heaven. Send my love to everybody up there too.

Love Forever and Ever,

Jacqueline Yee

(Your youngest daughter)

A Poem for my DAD titled: When you look down from heaven...

This poem was written especially fo my late father....the greatest dad anyone could ever have....It doesn't really rhyme that well but it's the best I could do....(this was written a few weeks after my dad passed away)

When you look down from heaven,

And see tears in my eyes,

It's a sign of great gladness,

That I was indeed blessed,

With a dad full of kindness,

Who made my life the very best.

When you look down from heaven,

And see tears in my eyes,

It doesn't mean that I'm sad,

Nor does it mean that I'm mad,

Its just happy thoughts of you, dad,

That makes me miss you so bad.

When you look down from heaven,

And see tears in my eyes,

It's my little way of wishing,

That the dreams that I'll be dreaming,

Would be the great fun I'll be having,

With you my dear dad,

When you look down from heaven

And see tears in my eyes,

Its my way of thanking you, dad,

For such a happy life,

And for giving me such memories,

Which I will treasure all my life.

When you look down from heaven,

And see tears in my eyes,

It's my own way of saying,

Since there's no way of hugging,

The amount of love I'm having,

For a dad whose been so loving.

When you look down from heaven,

And see tears in my eyes,

It's just me being proud dad,

Of the achievement you've had,

Of reaching the heavenly realms,

Where our dearest Jesus is at.

When you look down from heaven

And see tears in my eyes,

It means I can't stand much longer,

To meet you and the Creator,

But for now, there's still mother,

And loving her will be my career.