Sunday, February 19, 2006
The Letter
I met up with the IJ girlies for dinner at Grace's place! It's always so nice to meet up with them, re-live old times, remember old gossips, re-tell old ghost stories, re-compare our weights, re-moan about our old teachers, re-... ah, the list goes on.
As I type this, Moli's MSN nick reads: "IJ gatherings always make me feel 16 all over again!" I totally agree. And I just love it!
The coolest thing? Grace took out this box of old letters and notes that we wrote to her... and I found this really funny letter. Ok I guess it probably wasn't that funny then... cos by the sound of it, we must have been quarrelling.
But looking back... the letter was so funny. Like it meant EVERYTHING then - but then again, it probably did. I can just imagine myself in the shoes of my younger self, stressing out about keeping this friendship of mine. Somehow, I think I've changed... I don't know if I'd bother to do something like that today. Pride and stuff would get in the way. Maybe I'd send a short and sweet sms. Or a quick phonecall would do the trick. But that would be it I guess. Kinda sad, if you think about it. Grace, if you read this, thanks for showing me the letter! And you know what, I'd write something like that again in a moment if our friendship was on the line!
PS: Always be kind to all animals, even frogs!
I've been going back to help out with the Catechism classes in IJ lately. It's nice making the weekly trip back (despite the fact that it's at 7am in the morning), seeing the familiar faces, experiencing that incessant chatter of the girls, that I was once a part of. But teaching really ain't the easiest thing for me. Sometimes I wonder why in the world I am doing this, especially at times when the girls are just not listening.
There are the four "Reading Beauties" of the class - non-Catholic girls, who just wanted to sit in, but only paid attention to their story books. When I first noticed them, I was a little irritated... I mean, why sit in when you're not here to learn about the faith?
But then, I've began to see my younger self in them. Back when I was in IJ (both primary and secondary), I always went for Catechism classes, before I was baptised in Sec 3. For the reason that most of my close friends were Catholic, and I wanted to join them. So during the classes, I would happily distract my friends with my chatting, or start reading books, though I'm sure I must have listened in a class or two at least. Well, indeed something did happen over the years of my "attendance"; I got baptised... and here I am back at IJ, teaching Catechism! Truly amazing, the way the Spirit works.
One thing I remember clearly though, was Theresa, a Catholic friend of mine who I have not really kept in touch with. In primary school, when I was not allowed to go for some session that was "strictly for Catholic girls", she said to me: "To me, as long as you believe, you are Catholic already."
A simply line like that from a friend in my younger days has stuck with me since. And I always knew from then that I would be baptised one day. Thanks Theresa, though you'd probably never read this, and you'd probably not even remember what you said. But thank you. =)
I am just so grateful for those ten years of my life spent in IJ.
I met up with the IJ girlies for dinner at Grace's place! It's always so nice to meet up with them, re-live old times, remember old gossips, re-tell old ghost stories, re-compare our weights, re-moan about our old teachers, re-... ah, the list goes on.
As I type this, Moli's MSN nick reads: "IJ gatherings always make me feel 16 all over again!" I totally agree. And I just love it!
The coolest thing? Grace took out this box of old letters and notes that we wrote to her... and I found this really funny letter. Ok I guess it probably wasn't that funny then... cos by the sound of it, we must have been quarrelling.
But looking back... the letter was so funny. Like it meant EVERYTHING then - but then again, it probably did. I can just imagine myself in the shoes of my younger self, stressing out about keeping this friendship of mine. Somehow, I think I've changed... I don't know if I'd bother to do something like that today. Pride and stuff would get in the way. Maybe I'd send a short and sweet sms. Or a quick phonecall would do the trick. But that would be it I guess. Kinda sad, if you think about it. Grace, if you read this, thanks for showing me the letter! And you know what, I'd write something like that again in a moment if our friendship was on the line!
PS: Always be kind to all animals, even frogs!
I've been going back to help out with the Catechism classes in IJ lately. It's nice making the weekly trip back (despite the fact that it's at 7am in the morning), seeing the familiar faces, experiencing that incessant chatter of the girls, that I was once a part of. But teaching really ain't the easiest thing for me. Sometimes I wonder why in the world I am doing this, especially at times when the girls are just not listening.
There are the four "Reading Beauties" of the class - non-Catholic girls, who just wanted to sit in, but only paid attention to their story books. When I first noticed them, I was a little irritated... I mean, why sit in when you're not here to learn about the faith?
But then, I've began to see my younger self in them. Back when I was in IJ (both primary and secondary), I always went for Catechism classes, before I was baptised in Sec 3. For the reason that most of my close friends were Catholic, and I wanted to join them. So during the classes, I would happily distract my friends with my chatting, or start reading books, though I'm sure I must have listened in a class or two at least. Well, indeed something did happen over the years of my "attendance"; I got baptised... and here I am back at IJ, teaching Catechism! Truly amazing, the way the Spirit works.
One thing I remember clearly though, was Theresa, a Catholic friend of mine who I have not really kept in touch with. In primary school, when I was not allowed to go for some session that was "strictly for Catholic girls", she said to me: "To me, as long as you believe, you are Catholic already."
A simply line like that from a friend in my younger days has stuck with me since. And I always knew from then that I would be baptised one day. Thanks Theresa, though you'd probably never read this, and you'd probably not even remember what you said. But thank you. =)
I am just so grateful for those ten years of my life spent in IJ.
# posted by Mel @ 11:46 PM 
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Wah steady lah Mel, maybe you can share your story with the class esp those 4 'reading beauties' that you were once like them. And inspire them to find more in their faith, the personal relationship, not just catechism as a subject. Praise God for giving u this ministry, and for ur generous response.
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