Dad

This is one of the toughest blog I intend to write... I fear that my words would not be able to describe even 50% of how excellent this man was.  And he is none other than my late father-in-law (FIL), Mr Benny Lim Peng Leong.

My FIL had a superior fitness regime that keeps him healthy.  He was as healthy as a horse all along.  Almost everyday he would go for his morning walk around our residential area.  He joined the Saturday Praise Dance every week without fail.  He went for his regular check-up at UH.  He took his vitamins and supplements consistently.  We were not expecting him to leave us so soon although we know that he missed his wife very much even after three years.  And he was ever ready to leave this world behind without any regrets or hesitations.

Dad loved his grandchildren.  He pampered them with gifts, hugs and kisses, and played with them no matter how tired he was.  Very often, he would doze off while playing with the kids yet he never complained.  Sometimes, he would even take the kids out (one at a time) to buy things.

Dad had retired from work since ... but he was not one who sits around doing nothing.  On the contrary, he helped Mom (my late mother-in-law) with the household chores and thereafter, me, for the past three years.  He didn't mind to dirty his hands with the soiled nappy when the two little kiddos were infants.  He kept the garden in tact though he did not have green fingers.  Whenever I am back from market or grocery shopping, he would be the one that helped me to carry heavy stuff into the house.

Dad loved to study the Bible.  He loved to teach.  He was my facilitator when I enrolled for Baptism & Membership Class back in Trinity MC, PJ.  He was not afraid to discuss about controversial views on the Bible.  He did not impose on his students on his personal view.  He was open-minded.

Dad was also a thrifty man. However, that only applied to himself.  He was very generous to others especially us.  Whenever we go out for meals, he would quietly pay the bill at the counter before we do so.  The past two years during Erwyn's birthday, he bought a Superman and a Mamee Monster shirts for the boy as he knew that Erwyn likes it.  However, he would never spend that amount of money on himself.  He would always look out for cheap t-shirts and pants for his own use.  And the batik shirt that he wore to church was as old as Andrew.  Andrew often told us how Dad used to buy two sets of KFC dinner plate for him in his growing years, yet the parents ate none.

Dad did not like to trouble anyone including his own family.  Whenever I helped him with something, even with the slightest things on earth, he would notice and be grateful for that.  There were several times I offered to help him to sew his pants but he declined.

Dad always wore a big smile.  Simply flip through any old photos of him, you would notice he always carried a cheerful smile.  He was a friendly person though he's a private man.  He did not have many close friends whom he kept in touch with.  His world revolved around his family and it was the family he cared the most.

There were so many more things about Dad but it would be too lengthy if I write them all down.  Though he was my father-in-law, he was closer to me than my biological father who passed away 8 years ago.  Many times we joke about Dad would be the next one to leave this world, but when the time came, it was more difficult to bear than we thought.  He had been with us for the past three years; at home or everywhere else, his shadow was everywhere and it was not easy to forget the good old days we used to have.

Thank you, Dad, for leaving us with such a legacy behind.  You have shown us how excellent a person could be as a follower of Christ.  As a husband, your cared for your wife during her suffering and your devotion for her even after her passing demonstrated to us what love truly is; as a father, you worked hard and provided for your children the best you could afford; as a staff of the education department, you supported your boss and colleagues and everyone of them praised you for your dedication and good working relationship with others; as a member of TMC PJ, you served the church in various committees and contributed your gift of teaching in Membership Class and Disciples series; as a grandfather, you pampered them like any other grandparents and your best quote was: Grandparents spoil the kids; parents fix the kids (a borrowed quoted from Aunty Ah Cheng).  We love you and you will always live in our hearts.