A Single Speck of Heaven

"The fact that disabled people exist does not prove that God isn't doing his job properly. In fact, God put these special people on earth to give us the chance of showing our better sides - to help and nurture those who weren't born quite as perfectly as we were."

June Yong, my old English tutor

Heaven is an old man standing on his left.

Last week, when I was in Tesco with Odessa, I spotted a familiar sight - one which I have seen many times over in various shopping complexes and malls in Malacca since many, many years ago.

I spotted the pair as I was entering a gift shop, and I was compelled to watch. The boy (we shall call him Pete) were strolling very slowly along aided by the shopping cart on which he held on to. His father (who henceforth should be known as Pete's Dad) was patiently inching along with Pete, holding the cart steady for his son.

Pete's legs are very thin - and look as if they can snap any time, even under Pete's paltry weight. His spine looks terribly misaligned and bent, and it obviously gives him undue trouble with every movement he tries to perform. Of his unfortunate deformity, I cannot name the ailment responsible, for I am not acquainted with him, but doubtless, it was of a congenital nature. Pete was probably around my age (20) or older, in spite of his size - but I am only hazarding a guess from his features.

As they pass the gift shop we were entering, Pete stopped walking. With great difficulty, he reached out for some colourful plastic bric-a-bracs hanging on a display tree. Holding himself steady with his small, bony left hand on the shopping cart, he reached out with his right. Too bad, the prize was distanced a little too far, and he failed.

It was terribly painful to watch.

Pete's Dad, a man that I guessed to be between the ages of 60-70, pulled the display tree nearer to Pete, so he can reach the bric-a-brac that was of interest to him. With great concentration, he fingered the object, studying its colour and texture thoroughly before letting it go. At that, the pair trudged on to continue their quiet window shopping tour of Tesco.

I'm an atheist.

But at moments like this, I can believe in God.

Because, I can see His hand.


And since we're on the subject of wonderful parents (and at the express request of a friend of a friend);

Baby Aisya's spot of heaven.

It's in the face of such heart-wrenching random injustices in this world that I find refuge in my old English tutor's words (which I am sharing with you up there as the quote-of-the-post).

Baby Aisya was born with Fraser Syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive genetic anomaly which left the little girl with completely fused eyelids, webbed fingers, impaired hearing, and a partially blocked larynx. Take a look at her neck; that's where Baby Aisya breathes from.

But that story was already told, and told by someone who have met both the great Mom and child in person, so I won't waste your time listening to my take on it. Unless you're in hurry to get a kidney transplant or something, do spend a couple of minute checking out these links;

The Article in The Star, 24th December 2006.
Daphne Ling's (the authoress') Blog.

If you have any loose change jingling about in your pocket, contact Daphne Ling at 016-5422774 for more information on how to give them to Baby Aisya. She needs it for a couple of artificial eyes/lenses. Perhaps if she's lucky, she'll be able to read blogs someday like you can right now.

And if you have a blog yourself, spread the word in your next post, okay? It won't be obtrusive; just a couple of links with a paragraph at the bottom of your daily emo-rants. That's not too much to ask, I trust?

Ps: If you use Daphne's number for any other reasons other than for giving aide to Baby Aisya, you'll be cursed with the blackest black luck for the next 5-and-a-half years. Grow up.

Pss: Before I forget again, I've replaced the pictures in my 'Kate' post with something more appropriate.


One of the luckier ones,
k0k s3n w4i