It was a teary goodbye for all of us when Aunty LH left us on the last day of her work. Everyone of us here, young and old, including Ika, hugged her and cried with her and couldn’t bare to let her go.
Aunty LH had revived some part of me that had died along with those years of busyness and near burned out life. She had reminded me what it is to be a mother, watching her going about from task to task with endless energy, always cheerful and jovial, yet warm and caring, always putting others first, having great initiative, patient, fun-loving, appreciative, supportive, hardworking, and the list goes on.
Before she came I had a subtle fear of not knowing how to cope with playing so many roles in life as a wife, a mother of 3 young ones, a daughter and a daughter-in-law as well as being an employer, besides others in other circles of relationship. For the whole month when Aunty LH was here, by observing and interacting with her, I’ve gained much more wisdom which are biblical (though Aunty is not a Christian) and more confidence with each passing day.
One can never imagine how things around the house just have to break down in the month that I was having the new baby. First it was the toilet flush system, then the aircon, then the washing machine and lastly the central water heater, around one item a week and that is keeping me busy enough just to look for the warranty cards and then get the updated contact to call and then the appointment day itself, besides other responsibilities. It was also stressful enough to see the mess to be cleared up after the repair or replacement. But looking back, I’m thankful that these appliances had “chosen” to breakdown at the right time, because of Aunty & Ika’s presence and help, I coped well.
Aunty LH likes to eat so since I have some time, I baked and cooked some cakes and desserts that brought much delight and appreciation from her. It’s so nice to have someone with a warm and encouraging personality to cook together, filling the kitchen with much laughter and cheer.
Aunty had to leave on the day we were celebrating Ruth’s full month. She did something really nice by cooking most of the food that is to be consumed for that occassion just before she went home. We had nasi lemak so she prepared the chilli sauce & fried anchovies 2 days ahead and then the rest of the dishes that morning.
We’ve become close friends who would call each other up to chat. Aunty even dropped by during one of her visits to Singapore and I would surely get her favorite Nonya Kueh Lapis for her.
It is no wonder that she’s my favorite confinement nanny. May God bless her her heart’s desire.
