Yesterday, I had tea with Alice Chua.
Some months back, I met up with an acquaintance (her name is JK) for lunch. We had met over Zoom in 2021 when I joined a group of mothers in D1’s school to pray for our children who were taking the IB exams that year. JK was one of several fine parents I met over Zoom that season. I kicked myself for not having joined the prayer group six years earlier when D1 started school. I had somewhat distanced myself from interactions of any sort with the community then because I had a preconceived notion that I wouldn’t like them or feel that I fit in. How wrong I was, and how wonderful this network has been.
By chance, I later reconnected with JK through a neighbour and I arranged to meet them for lunch.
In the course of sharing our lives with each other, JK found out that my late dad used to work at Keppel, and was part of the group of give that wrote that paper to present to Hon Sui Sen to lobby for localisation after the British withdrew. She told me that she knew Alice Chua, wife of the late Chua Chor Teck, who was in the same group of five.
The next time we met up again for lunch, JK passed me a book titled Remember God, written by Alice Chua. I skimmed through the book once.
Here is an except of the book she wrote:
Then, last month, JK messaged me to say that Alice remembered my dad and suggested we meet for tea. I quickly dug up the book and read it more thoroughly a second time.
Yesterday, JK, Alice and I had tea at Alice’s place. We spoke briefly about my late dad. She said she remembered him from the times that the group of five would gather at her place to discuss the future of the shipyard. She didn’t remember much of him, except that he was very active.
Thereafter, our conversation drifted to other topics. She talked about God’s goodness in her life. She shared some testimonies which I was familiar with, as they were in her book. She also shared some intimate testimonies that were too personal to include in the book. Time and again, she would attest to God’s goodness and grace in her life.
The afternoon flew past way too fast. I left with a warm heart. I was very inspired by her love for God. Hers was not a naïve love; her love for God seemed to transcend her circumstance, her life. Her faith in God was simple and yet so deep. She was an ordinary woman and yet she was extraordinary at the same time.
I hope that my life will tell of God’s goodness in my life, despite the circumstances and the challenges. And I pray the same for you too, dear reader.
50 and beyond 
Leave a comment