A tribute to the titans

I'll like to dedicate this posting as a tribute to 2 of my friends, who have exhibited the toughest of characters despite the difficult times they had to go through. I find it hard to start writing on this topic, not because i've got nothing to say but because this is something that touches my heart, hence all the more find it hard to find the appropriate words to exactly describe how i felt.

For now, let's just call them S and A. Coincidental as it may sound, both of them have similar kind of tough times. I've known both of them for quite some time but its only till recent times that I can really comprehend the hardship that they have been through. Blame it on my lack of awareness, blame it on my lack of empathy then. Do forgive me my friends.

S once had a well paying full time job with an established bank. However for the sake of his terminally ill mother, he willingly resigned from his banking job, took up a part-time position with another company, thereby starting a long period of caretaking for his ill mother. Mind you, almost all times not working was spent on taking care of his mother, attending to her every needs and wants. During the few years that this remains the case, S had little time and money for himself, leading to few social moments and even fewer indulgences. Yet he never regretted. S' mother has since left to a better place peacefully and I can see how S is both saddened and relieved at the same time. I too, share his sentiments.

A had similar problems. Like S, A's mother was also ill and require regular dialysis sessions. But perhaps due to financial needs, A maintained a full time job all this while as he will accompany his mother to the dialysis centre regularly, even if it means waking up 5, 6am in the morning and nothing having enough sleep. I can imagine how his mother is financially, physically and even emotionally dependent on A. On the other hand he has to bear with the long hours of his job, the lack of sleep having to take care of his mother, and the emotional burden of his mother being dependent on him. When I asked him about it though, he told me with a courageous smile - what to do but to move on? I looked at him with much respect as I imagine myself doing an imaginery salute to him.

When i look at them, i sometimes feel like lowering my head in shame. Why? Because they make me guilty. There was a period of time when I will feel discouraged at the slightest of problems and the least of worries. Yet now that I look at them, I realise that my problems were just pebbles on the beach in comparison. Yes, they had a big problem staring at them right in the eyes. But did they run away? No they didn't. In an era when it is no longer alarming to read about news articles depicting how children are abandoning their old age parents, both S and A are looking like sparkling diamonds.

Adversities...they do happen to everyone of us don't they? What that matters isn't what the adversity is, but rather, our attitude towards it. This, is the lesson I learn from my 2 titanic friends.