The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.109)

TZU CHI 109 21 The volunteers had developed genuine concern for Mr Wong and his mother and were reluctant to give up on them. In the end, Mr Wong accepted the volunteers’ suggestion to bring his mother home from the hospital, while Tzu Chi would subsidize their living expenses to enable Mr Wong to focus on fulfilling his filial obligations to his mother. Thankful for the unwavering support In June 2017, volunteers visited Mr Wong’s home for the first time. The home visit allowed them to fully understand Mr Wong’s true motive behind his decision to leave his mother in the care of a nursing home. Mr Wong and his mother live in a public housing complex. Their unit is minimally furnished with only the bare necessities; Mr Wong would sleep on a mattress on the floor, while his mother evidently lacked a conducive environment to recuperate from her illness, as she only had a reclining armchair to rest and sleep on. Feeling sorry for Mr Wong’s mother, the volunteers delivered a sickbed and a mattress to her and her son’s living quarters the following day. She was officially adopted as a care recipient in August that same year. As she was bedridden and suffered from bed sores, she not only received regular care from volunteers who paid her monthly home visits, but was also attended to by TIMAmembers who would assist in cleaning her wounds. During each visit, the volunteers would relieve her discomfort by comforting her with kind, gentle words, while cleaning her wounds. The volunteers persisted tirelessly, despite having to travel to her home as frequent as three to four times weekly, with each return trip taking up to two to three hours. Having witnessed the meticulous care administered by the volunteers, Mr Wong’s initial reservations towards their kind deeds as superficial token gestures started to give way to heartfelt appreciation for their sincere goodwill. Recounting the volunteers’ efforts in tending to his mother’s wounds, Mr Wong gave Hooi Poh and Saw Tin a thumbs-up, while complimenting them, “You are very fastidious. I admire your competence.” Tan Hooi Poh , volunteer Caring for MrWong has taught me not to judge someone too hastily, and to be more considerate towards their intentions and circumstances. Mr Wong was guarded and misunderstood our intentions because he was anxious in ensuring his mother received adequate care. This speaks volumes about his love for his mother. I always believe that kindness is inherent in human nature. As long as we persevere in serving from the heart, our deeds would one day convince others of our sincere intentions to help. Furthermore, I admire Sister Saw Tin’s readiness to lead by example. She did not hesitate to take the lead in restoring hygienic living conditions for Mr Wong’s mother. Her exemplary leadership reminded me to adopt the same resolve in guiding fellow volunteers. Serve from the Heart Ever eady to