Working too Hard

Chrysanthemum is the hardworking female representative of the Chinese race.

When young, she supported her mother in their roles at home: washing, cleaning, preparing food and all the other 101 chores in a big extended family. Work never seemed to end and rest was just those few hours she could put her head on her hard pillow and hard wooden boards which they called bed.

Then she had to struggle to educate herself at university with the faith that if she could get through with a degree life would just be a little better. She did and she obtained her teaching post with some struggle too as she had to teach in Sibu, so far away from Malacca her hometown.

Her school was a premier school and hardwork and efficiency were expected from her. She rose to the occasion and continued to work extremely hard. I felt all those years ago, Chrysanthemum was a person who did not have the word REST in her vocabularly. Her life was work, work, and more work.

She was a very serious person and she taught extremely well. She did not WASTE a single minute of her life with nonsense. That has been her.

As she developed as a teacher, she became more and more involved with extra-curricular activities, staff training and other development programmes. But unfortunately, people in authority could not see her worth. It is unfortunate that in our society people with money have more say, people who are seen at the right places, at the right moments and at the right moments become the glorified and titled people.

In our tapestry of life, Chrysanthemum became the colourless main cord while the Datins, the Datuks became the red and blue silks that stood out in the blossoms.

If only, if only, there could be some flowers which could represent all these hardworking background teachers!

But I know God above would remember every single blade of grass, every single chipped piece of clay pot..

He promised so....and we claim that promise for Chrysanthemum.