ERP- Question 1a

Recall a time when someone you love was ill, and how that affected you and your relationship with them.

Teary-eyed faces filled with anguish and sorrow and desperate prayers hoping for a miracle- the common sights and sounds at funerals where relatives and friends gather to express their heartfelt feelings to the deceased. Ironically, these are usually the times in the ‘lifetime’ of the deceased that he is most appreciated and loved for as many fail to cherish their loved ones until it is too late. Cherishing someone while you still can is indeed an important lesson that could spare you from lifetime regret. Lucky for me, I learnt this lesson well before it was too late.

That fateful day, I trudged home from school after a tiring day, unaware of the shock that awaited me. Opening the house door, I sought the familiar aroma of Mum’s cooking but it was missing from the house. Something was definitely wrong. Then, I saw Mum lying on the sofa. Barely recognizable, she was as pale as a ghost, with her hair in a mess. Immediately, I rushed to her side, only to be told not to get too close. Mum was running a high fever. My first instinct was to phone Dad but soon I remembered that he was overseas on a business trip. I was utterly at a lost.

 I could hardly remember the last time Mum was sick. In my eyes, she was a superwoman, always being able to tirelessly keep the house spick and span while never failing to offer her selfless care to me. Yet, the sight before my eyes was the unimaginable truth. It was time for Mum to take a long break.

The following days were a nightmare. I found myself having to force my heavy eyelids open long before day broke to fix breakfast for Mum and I. Furthermore, for the first time in my life, the fatigue did not end along with the school day. It was merely the beginning. Back at home, I was faced with a seemingly insurmountable task of completing a never-ending list of chores.  Never had I imagined that taking out the trash or mopping the floor could be so exhausting. Yet  all fatigue gave way when it dawned on me that I had taken all the hard work Mum put into keeping the house at tip-top condition for granted. Guilt began tearing at my heart as I recalled all my dirty and untidy habits, not forgetting the occasions when I threw ugly tantrums at Mum. No matter how much my heart yearned that those incidents never took place, knowing them to be irreversible, I realised I had to look ahead.

With plenty of luck and sweat, I managed to survive through the entire week as Mum’s fever slowly but steadily subsided. Eventually, life went back to ‘normal’ but that week had changed my life and my relationship with Mum. I began taking the initiative to help lighten Mum’s load of housework in any way I could.  Although it meant more work for me, doing housework together allowed us to understand each other better. Furthermore, I began reminding myself to thank Mum every chance I had. I had realized the importance of reciprocating Mum’s unconditional love to foster a two-way relationship.  Until this very day, the memories and the lesson learnt on that fateful day are still vivid in my mind- cherish your loved ones.