To be continued...

Even though there's no point keeping track of the date after Mom left, it's still kinda hard not to when writing this blog.  Fian was right, I wasn't sure if I should continue this blog after the last post but since the title of this blog is "Mom's Update", I guess there should be a new one as long as there's any updates related to Irene.

I have posted the link of the website offered by Highland Funeral Home last time.  It's a pretty neat website but also a bit "complicated" for some of us with tons of information.  Please email me if you have any questions regarding Mom's funeral details.  Once again:
 

Visitation 瞻仰
Highland Funeral Home - Markham Chapel 高山殯儀館 - 萭錦堂
10 Cachet Woods Court,  Markham, ON, CANADA, L6C 3G1
Fri, 11 Jan 2013 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Funeral Service 喪禮
Markham Chinese Baptist Church 麥城華人浸信會
9580 Woodbine Ave,  Markham, ON, CANADA, L6C 1H8
Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:00 AM

Burial 葬禮
Elgin Mills Cemetery 愛恩墓園
1591 Elgin Mills Road E, Richmond Hill, ON, CANADA, L4S 1M9
Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:00 PM

Just to clarify, we do welcome flowers as Mom loves flowers.  However, since she does have a lot of friends and family who have already ordered flowers for her (as they may not seen this blog or been contacted), being a practical Chinese lady/wife/mother, she prefers to make better use of the money you may spend on the flowers.  If you don't need donation receipts, you can just send the funeral fund ("white money") to us, and we'll make our offering and donation on Mom's behalf of you.  This way, we can also have a better tracking.  Or if you prefer to have a offering/donation receipt, please go ahead and make offering to MCBC or other foundations in the memory of Irene Oi Lin Law Ng yourself.  However, not all of the organization can issue a summary to us afterwards.  It'll be a little harder for us to show our appreciation back afterwards.  Always, it's your prayers, thoughts, hearts and supports that counts - thank you.

Btw, for those who are sending Mom flowers, please send it to Highland Funeral Home - Markham (see address above) and have them delivered, preferably, before 11am on Friday for better arrangements. 

20130108 Sunday - First time we came back to church without Mom.  It wasn't the best feeling I have to say.  I was actually kinda nervous on the way in the morning, knowing that there'll be a lot of aunties and uncles would ask about Mom.  Mom is so lucky to have so many people who love and care about her.  Thanks for all the support to our family all along.  It's not a bad feeling but it's just that you know you wouldn't have a chance not to think about Mom's passing.  

God is good again.  It wasn't bad at all.  My nervousness went away right off the bat when I saw Auntie Gloria crying while giving Dad a hug.  My thankfulness totally covered all my concerns seeing the love from all these Aunties and Uncles.  God has taught me a lesson once again.  I guess I was thinking a bit too much.  

It was so nice to see Raya (Serina and Steve's baby girl).  She's just too chubby to tell who she looks more like, hahaha.  Sorry for not being able to spend more time with you (for Gloria too as she was busy helping me) this time but just like my promise to 4 Gu Jeh and Preston - next time.

After sending the boys to bed, I spent pretty much the whole night at Mom and Dad's place (I think I should start calling it just Dad's place from now on).  The only thing we did was selected pictures for Mom's PowerPoint!  It was a lot of fun looking at our old pictures but the thing is Mom just has SO many of pictures.  She loves pictures, not to take pictures but to be IN the pictures, hahaha.  We had a very hard time to select just 50 of them (we could have easily picked 10 times more!).  Fian just kept rejecting the pictures I picked without her, haha.  Well, I'm three years older than her after all (even though I look younger, haha).  And yes, the first born always have more pictures, hahaha.  Taking those pictures away means people will miss three years, hahaha.  Don't misunderstand, this is only the 50 hard copies we picked, there're more from our hard drives in digital to go.  

20130107 Monday - Jake started school after the holiday and in my automatic mode, I went to work after dropping him off.  My heart was still heavy but it wasn't too bad.  I didn't know how long to stay at work but I do have stuff to handle.  Since my boss was still on vacation, I could only announce my Mom's passing through emails.  However, after finished drafting it, I didn't press the "send" button somehow.  Knowing that everyone would come to my desk and greet me, I guess I wasn't ready for that attention yet.  God and Mom, no worries.  It's okay.  I can handle it.

After finishing what I had to do, I spent some time setting up the funeral website for Mom.  In that website, you can see things like obituary, photos, family tree, time line, eulogy, etc.  Feel free to upload anything like music, photos, videos, documents or drop us a line by signing the guest book.  This is one of my favorite pictures of pretty Mom.
 

I also spent some time selecting pictures for Mom's PowerPoint.  Dad has Auntie Diana in mind since Day 1 for the PowerPoint presentation, so we went out for a little lunch meeting giving her all the pictures we selected the night before.  Thanks for helping Auntie Diana, you are the coolest Auntie of all sharing all these new apps to me with your tablets and SIII, hahaha.

 

This is the song Dad loves to sing by Mom's bed these past few months.  Even though his voices were shaky most of the time in his half Cantonese Mandarin, I'm starting to love this song too.  This will also be the background music of the PowerPoint.

Fian and Dad went to Grandma's place for dinner tonight.  They then came for a short visit to the boys and us before we went back to Dad's place to keep preparing Mom's funeral related things.  I continued to make use of the funeral home website while Fian was busy selecting what accessories Mom should have.  I have to admit that Dad and I are pretty "useless" when it comes to accessories, hahaha.  Sorry Fian, I promise to bring Gloria next time.  Every time when Fian was asking for comments, Dad and I would either just look at each other or not looking at Fian at all, saying things like, sure, very good, not bad, no comments, up to you or simply laughed without an answer, hahaha.  The only thing I said that sorta make sense was, "Make sure they are not real stuff, hahaha".

20130108 Tuesday - Dad and Fian went for a meeting at church with Rev. Wong and Pastor Johnny.  They went through a lot of details of the visitation, funeral service and the burial.  Actually, it was very detailed as it includes when we can have washroom breaks!!!  With the help of Auntie Constance and the Caring team, we have selected where to have our "Grief Releasing Lunch" - Wasabi Buffet.  Mom is not a big fan of sushi but I am, hahaha (just joking).

Once again, we went out for lunch together today.  We were supposed to meet up with Elgin Mills cemetery but we needed to reschedule it as Fian wanted a hair cut.  I also did mind at the same time.  The hair salon we went is the one Mom first went.  All the staffs there know her well.  They have been following Mom's condition and when we told them the news, their faces just turned.  Jacky is Mom's hair stylist for the longest time and I'm not sure if Mom has anything to do with him going to church lately but I am pretty sure Mom had done some "long air" talk with him before, haha.  I know a lot of people will miss her - I do too.  We will miss her smile, her organization skills, a tour guide, a teacher, someone faithful and finds joy through serving and someone loves both kids and elderly.  The list will just keep going.

We had dinner together tonight at mine before we headed out for ice cream at Costco!  Somehow, Mom doesn't like ice cream as much as Dad, Fian and I.  The boys were having a good time as usual.  When I saw Gloria holding Jake shopping, my heart sank a little.  It reminds me of Mom and honestly, I'm jealous of Jake cuz' he can hold his Mom's hand while I can't.  I'm sure there'll be more similar incidents or situations in the future and I don't need to be strong cuz' I know who I can rely on.  God, be prepared.  
 

Interestingly, the weather looks unusually warm this Saturday (13 Degrees) and that means we can have a easier time saying goodbye to Mom.  God is good I told you, hehehe.

 

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelations 21:4)

"神要擦去他們一切的眼淚．不再有死亡、也不再有悲哀、哭號、疼痛、因為以前的事都過去了。"(啟示錄21:4)

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)

"因此、你們是大有喜樂、但如今、在百般的試煉中暫時憂愁．叫你們的信心既被試驗、就比那被火試驗、仍然能壞的金子、更顯寶貴．可以在耶穌基督顯現的時候、得著稱讚、榮耀、尊貴。你們雖然沒有見過他、卻是愛他．如今雖不得看見、卻因信他就有說不出來、滿有榮光的大喜樂．並且得著你們信心的果效、就是靈魂的救恩。"(彼得前書1:6-9)