The world of Tzu Chi August 2020 (Vol.125)

TZU CHI 125 41 With tears welling in her eyes, Biau Tua recalled her tough life, taking care of her sick family members who fell ill one after another, including her mother, husband, younger brother, parents-in-law and her son, who had met with two accidents. The exorbitant medical bills made life a torture; she felt helpless. With love and care from the volunteers, she gradually came to terms with her fate and realized that she had already survived the most difficult moments in her life, so she could definitely pull through the present situation. Eventually, Biau Tua regained her cheerfulness. She mused, “I used to be a pessimist, afraid of facing reality. I felt sad whenever I thought about my suffering. I’m grateful for the volunteers’ help. Their love gave me the courage to move on.” Following the volunteers’ spirit of giving, she began to participate in Tzu Chi’s activities, such as cleaning rice dumpling leaves for charity bazaars and sorting recyclables. The volunteers’ unconditional love reminded Leong Meng of how his mother took care of him when his leg was injured ten years ago. She took him to the clinic every three days to clean his wounds and accompanied him on regular visits to the hospital for follow-up treatments – the images were still fresh in his mind. Today, his mother still does the same without regret or complaints, except that she now has more wrinkles and is not as strong as she used to be. He began to realize the benevolent love of a mother and repented for his unfilial behaviour. He opined that the Tzu Chi song “We Are One Family” expresses his and his mother’s heartfelt thoughts. He is grateful to the volunteers for giving them courage and strength, like a family would. During the year-end distribution event in Malacca in 2019, Lee Leong Meng expressed his gratitude for his mother, Ng Biau Tua. [Photograph by Tan Yen Pack]