Jacqueline
Ships in the night
Seeing the cards with the boats reminds her how ships have played a significant part in her life. Her late father is a seafarer. When he goes out to sea, it would be years before he comes back. An unborn child would be around 2 or 3 years old by then. When he is back, he is a stranger and she would hide behind her mother. She is reminded of the hardships at sea. When she was older, she worked in a shipping company. The seafarers would share with her stories of turbulent seas and how they would drop to their knees to pray, holding on to the memories of their families at home. She remembers a grave accident at sea and saw the photos of bodies laid in a row. The boats on the cards fills her thoughts of the different lives of the people on the different kinds of boats she has seen on her travels, on fishing boats and on luxury yachts. She is surprised that this simple activity has given her a pause and a kind of peace.
As you are
Jacqueline and June are neighbours and friends. Jacqueline says she has found so much more in common with June in their time together in Digital Seniors. She is inspired by how June has been able to express her personal story. June appreciates Jacqueline for being well-read. The most important thing that Jacqueline has gained from books has been how to nurture her son's interests and let her son explore his own talents. His love for animals led her to sell her home to support him in his zoological studies overseas. He is now a Zookeeper and she has deep respect for the path he has chosen.
For the love of cats
In the beginning it was a way to bond with her son, but in the caring for their cats, she discovered their unique ways of finding their way into her heart and has forged a deep attachment to them. It's inspired her to look for cat paraphernalia wherever she traveled. When they adopted their cats, they had to wait 2 weeks before the kittens were properly weaned and the cat fosterer came to visit her home to ensure that her windows are meshed and secured and if they had any experience. When they learnt that her son was studying zoology, they were a shoo-in for the adoption. She discovered the different ways the cats meow to communicate with their humans and would not be able to resist their sad eyes when they wanted to let her know they are hungry! In the lectures she gives. she has used examples of how even a cat knows how to win a heart when humans would not even learn to say a good word or two to nurture a friendship. Most importantly, the cats created a deep affinity between her and her son, especially in a difficult time when they lost their husband and father. She mentions that there are many abandoned cats and kittens and recommends that people adopt these animals as a way to heal while also saving a precious life.
In quiet reflection
She feels that in Singapore we lack a kind of cultural development. In Taiwan, there are reading clubs, writing societies and toastmasters which she finds uncommon in Singapore but can be important to develop an affinity for the arts in our youths instead of perpetuating a kind of day-to-day existence that numbs. She appreciates the exercise in reflection that we are doing together as part of Digital Seniors. Death is something many people fear. She had a bout with cancer a few years ago. When she received the diagnosis, she found it hard to accept. A pastor visited her and they prayed. She felt that only in a time of crisis would our prayers be the most honest. It was not an easy journey towards acceptance and she discovered that the person she was most concerned about at the time was her mother. She prayed that she would not leave this world before her mother so as not to break her heart. She is grateful for the miracle of recovery. She is humbled by the experience as well as from surviving the death of loved ones. She credits books for nourishing her soul and helping her find strength.
A better tomorrow
Let me embrace your dream, little one.