A Tribute to
my Dad
A Tribute to my Dad - Loo Soon Aik
1929 - 13 May 2010
I lost my Dad due to renal failure just hours ago and
like many who have experienced loss, there isn't much we can do except to relive
the good times and to remember the dear ones in our hearts.
I chose to pen him a tribute with this note.
Dear Dad,
Although you had little material wealth, you did well to provide your family
with food and shelters.
Although you were not expressive like typical Asians, I could sense your
concern and love even when I was disciplined by you.
Although we celebrated many more Mother's Days than Father's Days, you were
always my celebrity, no matter the occasions.
I can still remember vividly, the time when you had to
send me to not one but two schools while Mum fed me lunch and helped changed my
school uniforms in the confine of your Jeep!
Looking back, my first 2 years of Primary education at Chung Pun for my Chinese
lessons, Balestier Mixed for my English lessons plus 2 more hours of tuition
class in the evening, had provided me with an early and strong foundation to do well in my
schooling.
I wouldn't be what I am today if it was not for your wisdom and sacrifices.
As the eldest of 6 sons, I am privileged to have the
responsibility and the means to provide and to care for my parents ever since I
started to earn a living from 1978.
The demises of my Dad at around the same time as that of Dr. Goh Keng Swee,
reinforce my conviction that while public adoration is commendable after a
person's death, it is what we have done while the person is still alive that
matters most.
No glowing obituaries can compare to the kind deeds that we can do for our loved
ones while they are still alive!
On behalf of Mum, your children and grand children,
thank you once again for been an important part of our lives. You will always be
dearly remembered by us.
Your son,
Kee Sin
Ephesians 6:2-3 state: "Honor your father and
mother." This is a very important commandment with a promise: So that it may go
well for you, and that you may have a long life on the earth.
Indeed, we must feed our parents while they live,
mourn for them when they die, and remember them after they died.
I thank God for the opportunity to practice this 5th.
commandment to the best of my ability and it is my prayer that my children and
yours will do likewise.