Saturday, September 03, 2005
some echos on Teachers' Date
God started anniversary celebration. His creation says so. There are 4 seasons, even for us at the little red dot near equator, though subtle, but we can notice the wet cool days and dry hot days. The coming and going remind us of 'it is the time of the year again'. His Law says so too. He ordained festival such as Passover so that His people remembers He passed them over when He punished their captors. Our Lord Jesus spiritualised bread and wine when He told His 12 disciples and disciples to get together to do it often so as to remember it.
I suppose, He ordained such order, so that we not just remember it, but we re-live it. Anniversary celebration is meant to re-live those days. It is meant to evoke the emotions, the memories, the heart strings. The Israelites were told to drink and eat in certain way. It was like living through it again. And this year Teachers' Day was very much like that. I re-lived 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001.. my years in the school. Faces I have known for the first 4 years were back. I felt at home. God is indeed wise and personal. He knew we need it, and sometime, we need it badly, to re-live the 'good old days'.
It is a Celebration too. For His people, it is to celebrate His graciousness to His people. The Holy Communion to remember His cruel death on the Cross. The Passover, His deliverance. Teachers' Day celebrates the relationship, the ties that God has blessed us. Teaching is afterall, it is not sodium is Na or a mole contains 6 x 10(23) or the definition of acid. It is not even you got 6 As or 2 Fs. It is, I think, about whether the relationship is worth remembering in the 2 hearts and worth celebrating. It is about our hearts touched and perhaps etched. It is about I had a good laugh on this and that with Fiona, I teased Pei Luan, I listened to Karen in old campus, I tried to convince Shaun Chinese instrumental is worth listening (which I failed), I did class decoration with Sunny and Tessa (sec 1B), called Bin Qin Ah Bin, gave Feli a cactus, went to hospital with a student, leaned my head on Malcolm, it is.. about being with the person.
Anniversary also celebrates the present. Because, the present will be in next year anniversary too. God has a way to enlarge our memory. I am thankful for how Tian Wei came along and tell me he is working hard, Martin who asks till he understand, Jane is ever hearworking, Mei Sheng, Pei shan and gang waving, Bobby's massage, Hafiz and Hafiz different style of studying, my nonsense time with Asri and Sharikin in the Blue Studio and the list goes on.
This year Teachers' Day comes so useful. I am so stressed by the coming Os and the official opening and many other duties. But this Anniversary, God reminded me, to be thankful and to remember what is the essence of my calling as a teacher - to be with my students as they journey and grow, and my present, which will be additional reasons to celebrate Anniversary.
Dear Lord, thank you for ordaining Anniversary. You knew we need it badly to go on. And I feel much better. Thanks. Amen.
tse horng blogged at 2:29 AM
