1. Cleaning Lady.
Maggie was a conscientious student during her younger days and she would breeze through her tests without battling an eyelid. There was once when she sat for a test and as usual she was breezing through the questions until she came to the last one. It read, ' What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'
She thought it was some kind of a joke question. All she knew of the cleaner woman was that she was well into her 50s, dark-haired and tall. There was no way she had
known her name, not even her first name.
She handed in her paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward their quiz grade.
'Absolutely,' their teacher replied. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.'
Maggie has never forgotten that lesson. She also learned that the cleaner's name was Myojo.
Maggie was a conscientious student during her younger days and she would breeze through her tests without battling an eyelid. There was once when she sat for a test and as usual she was breezing through the questions until she came to the last one. It read, ' What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'She thought it was some kind of a joke question. All she knew of the cleaner woman was that she was well into her 50s, dark-haired and tall. There was no way she had
known her name, not even her first name.She handed in her paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward their quiz grade.
'Absolutely,' their teacher replied. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.'
Maggie has never forgotten that lesson. She also learned that the cleaner's name was Myojo.
What about our own HIS cleaning lady? We call her Grace but does anyone knows her surname? Grace Who?
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2. Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older Malay woman was standing on the side of Upper Bukit Timah Road trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride, and no taxis were in sight.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young Chinese man named, Steven Quek, who just got his driving license, stopped to help her, generally unheard of in a place like Singapore. Steven took her to the nearest taxi stand and waited with her until a cab arrived to take her away.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on Steven's door. To his surprise, a giant LCD colour TV was
delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read: 'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying father's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.'
Sincerely,
Mdm Halimah Yacob
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older Malay woman was standing on the side of Upper Bukit Timah Road trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride, and no taxis were in sight.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young Chinese man named, Steven Quek, who just got his driving license, stopped to help her, generally unheard of in a place like Singapore. Steven took her to the nearest taxi stand and waited with her until a cab arrived to take her away.She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on Steven's door. To his surprise, a giant LCD colour TV was
delivered to his home. A special note was attached.It read: 'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying father's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.'
Sincerely,
Mdm Halimah Yacob
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3. Always remember those who serve.
It once happened sometime ago when Juliana's a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee house, while mommy was playing mahjong upstairs with some of her kakis, and sat at a table.
A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
'How much is an ice cream sundae?' Boy Boy asked.
'Two dollars and fifty cents,' replied the waitress.
Boy Boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain scoop of ice cream?' he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
'A dollar,' she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain scoop of ice cream,' he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. Boy Boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two 50 cent coins.
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
3. Always remember those who serve.
It once happened sometime ago when Juliana's a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee house, while mommy was playing mahjong upstairs with some of her kakis, and sat at a table.
A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
'How much is an ice cream sundae?' Boy Boy asked.
'Two dollars and fifty cents,' replied the waitress.
Boy Boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain scoop of ice cream?' he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
'A dollar,' she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain scoop of ice cream,' he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. Boy Boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two 50 cent coins.
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
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4. The obstacle in Our Path.
In a time when Singapore was still very much undeveloped, there was a rich man who looked after a busy kampong, who placed a huge boulder in the middle of a dirt road. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the rich man's wealthiest friends and relatives came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the rich man for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant, Rahmat Rauaee, came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, Rahmat laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After that, when Rahmat went to picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the rich man, indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. Rahmat learned what many of us never understand!
'That every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition'.
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5 . Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when Gerardo Acotanza was working as a volunteer in a Saudi hospital, he got to know a little girl named Ida, who was suffering from a rare & serious disease.
Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, Yazit, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to little Yazit, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
Gerardo thought he saw the little boy hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.'
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Most importantly. 'Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching.'
5 . Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when Gerardo Acotanza was working as a volunteer in a Saudi hospital, he got to know a little girl named Ida, who was suffering from a rare & serious disease.
Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, Yazit, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to little Yazit, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
Gerardo thought he saw the little boy hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.'
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Most importantly. 'Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching.'
Just in case some of you may still be wondering, Grace's surname is CHONG.
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