My Papa

My papa. He was a simple man who lived a simple life. He was not an influential person in society. He lived peaceably and humbly raised up 13 children through God’s grace.

My papa was very musical. He played the piano (folk style) and the harmonica too. My first music lessons were coached by him. He taught me solfage from young in a fun and creative way, before anyone heard of junior music courses.

He was quite a multilingual person. It was quite fun to learn all the other languages from him. He could converse comfortably in Punjabi, Tamil, Malay, Japanese, Hakka, Teochew, and other dialects. He would teach me those languages by associating them with hokkien words and funny phrases. Till today I can still remember those words vividly.

My papa went home to be with the Lord in November 1995. He did not leave behind any material wealth but a valuable legacy. He taught me to believe in my dreams.

When I was very young, I always wanted to have a piano. Even though financially we could never afford a piano, my papa would always encourage me to continue to hope and dream for one. He would sometimes asked me “where do we put the piano when we bought one?” Or sometimes, he would say, “ maybe we should put it at this corner.” We both realize many times that this dream will most probably never materialize. However he continued to hope and would never stop dreaming with me. This dream of owning my own piano would many times prove to be that inspiration that helped me through many difficult and trying times.

Eventually, we did own a piano – 6 years later. Every morning when I wake up and saw the piano in the hall, joy and excitement would well up within. Indeed dreams do come true. I recall the initial days where papa and me would take turns to play the piano until he was bed ridden many years later.

After I got my driving license, it was papa who encouraged me to dream and hope for a car. I got my first car 10 years later. Looking back, it was through my papa’s influences that I am who I am today.

Papa, I am still dreaming dreams …… Thank you,pa.