A Passage in the journey of Life: A day of Rituals

The altar was set.

The coffin and body is at the back of the altar.

The photos I had taken earlier was needed.

Thus began the days of rituals.

I am a Christian.

My sister, Kim, is a Buddhist.

She is the closest to my mum and over the many years she had dedicated everything she had- including her lifetime and savings - for the care of my mum. As a project manager, I had to permit Kim and accord her a special privilege in the decision on the selection and performance of ceremony, customs and rituals.

Kim and my mother's god-daughter Anne, were dedicated Buddhist followers and practitioners. They both help arranged for the performance of the rituals.

A group of two monks and a high priest from Tibet happens to be in Ipoh on some pre-arranged assignments to perform prayers and functions organized by the Buddhist society.

Anne heartily got them and they agreed to come over to perform the first prayers for the day.

The monks arrived and performed the daytime prayers for two hours and thereafter they had to leave for their earlier appointments which had to be postponed in order to attend to our needs.

We are truly thankful and in particular, to Anne, for the privilege and blessings to have these high priests conduct the prayers.

For the evening prayers we had to arranged for another group of monks.

Anne and my sister Kim had a close friend by the name of Sayalah, who is a nun in a Buddhist monastery in Kuala Lumpur, and they help arranged for another group of Tibetian monks to come over for the evening prayers and the performance of the rest of the other rituals.

Sayalah and two Tibetian high priests travelled by bus to Ipoh and my son William then picked them up at the bus terminal to our home.

The evening prayers were conducted and the rest of the rituals were performed. The following day, Sunday 15th March 2009, mum's body was cremated at the Kek Look Seah Crematorium in Ipoh.

Today all members of the family were at the crematorium to collect the ashes and placing it into the urn.

It will be placed at the columbarium where my mum had previously bought a space for herself .

She had made sure that she will on that day be placed beside my dad's urn. It was her only wish on the day my dad passed away.





Finally, my mum gets to be with my dad!

I carried the urn and put it into the cell besides my dad's place. I said in silence: "Mum, you are now with dad again.

That's her ultimate wish.

May God bless their souls. Amen.