"remember the poor" Galatians 2:10

I'm feelin horrible... almost to tears.

Was taking a walk down to 7-11 to try my luck getting hair wax there, when I saw this old lady cutting cardboard boxes in the corner. I didn't think much at first, but the moment I stepped into 7-11, it all started.

I was buying hair wax in the middle of the night, all for the sake of my vanity. And I was disappointed that 7-11 didn't sell the wax. And as I walked out, I remember something that Alli said over one of our meetings. That old people shouldn't have to work so hard, commenting on the old folks working at MacD's. And, that sparked a chain reaction of thoughts, "How would Alli have felt if she saw that old lady?", "Remember the poor..." and such. It was like an earthquake going on inside me.

I had a bit of money on me, fighting my stingy impulse and shyness, I offered it to her. I thought I could calm that lil earthquake in me by giving her some money, and maybe feel a bit better. She was surprised when she saw me, blind in one eye, she looked at me probably wondering what the hell I was doing. I squatted down and offered my best smile I could muster, and offered to her as best as I could. She looked at me, smiled at me, and said, "Aiyoo... kam siah." and accepted the money. I didn't know what to say, except, "Sleep early" in hokkien. It was a smile that broke my heart.

Truth be told, I don't feel better at all. I feel worse. The poor was all around me, and I didn't see them. And I know there are people like me all around Singapore, all blind to the poor. We look but we do not see. We see but do not feel. What have we become as a country and as a society? It took a friend from a foreign land to help me see who our poor are, clearly we have not done enough to educate ourselves to identify and help the needy.

My friends, remember the poor. listening to the rain... 1:42 AM

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