How much is enough?

It is the Indian New Year today  and that made me write something about how people should  reflect back on life and take a new stand in life.

Many of us go through life as though it is not going to end...but there is an end....The End. We rush through the day...chasing it..and trying to fit so much into one day....and then at the end of the day we say...I wish there are more hours in a day. We must remember we have only this one life God has given to us and we must live our life so that one day when we look back at it...it should not be a life of regret but a life filled with things we have done with love for ourselves and others.

When I was growing up with my parents and brothers..it was filled with ups and downs...fun and laughter...smiles and tears...there was enough money for the 11 of us in the house..I was pampered and never knew what hardship was...I was you can say given everything and everything was done for me by my family as I was the only girl....and yet my parents never made us  once feel  how much they had to go through to feed and clothe the 9 of us..and most of all we were happy with what we had. My parents did not leave any big inheritance for us to fight over at the end of their precious lives and I am glad they did not..because otherwise we would not have learnt how to be independent and stand on our own two feet.

Then when I got married to David I had to leave my big family behind and go and live with my husband in Kuching Sarawak, We had just enough money to survive seeing as to we were both civil servants and then the children came along and we never ever made them feel that we just had enough to pull through the month.... we even gave mini holidays within Malaysia and thanks to David's sister we had holidays in Australia....and we were always happy and contented because we just had enough and the rest we left in God's providence. And till today I tell them I am not going to leave any money for them when I am gone...because I want to see the world with my husband so that one day they can share with their children that we lived life..and not kept the money lying in a bank to earn interest.

Today when I see young people working till late hours to make money and more money just to have a place to stay and have the finer things in life...I feel sad that they are doing this rushing through life's momentum and then forgetting to stop on the way to smell the flowers. When two young people are in love and preparing to get married..they are planning a big expensive wedding...and to top that they have bought a new house and  spending so much for renovations . Phew..thats so much to encompass in one young life. Some young people have even had to die because they were so stressed in life's rat race...dying of heart attacks at a young age..or even dying on the roads because they have that fast car that they worked so hard to get.

And when it comes to parents...I hear that they are sending their kindergarten children for tuition...for heaven's sake...children should grow up as children...running around and playing and enjoying their very young life with their parents and grandparents...not with their domestic helps , babysitters or tuition teachers...while the parents are out there working late and coming home to find that the children have gone to bed. I know we have no choice but to have someone else take care of our children while at work..but do return to them and spend time with them...work will never finish anyway. And this 'kiasu' attitude of  cramming so much into a child's life might just leave these young children broken , confused and  helpless and when we see them go the other way...we shout and ask for help..when it may be too late...because we have driven them that way....away from us. 

I just wish people would just stop for awhile and look around and evaluate their lives and see what they want to do with their life...and do it...because life has so much to offer. and always remember when you fall sick its your family who takes care of you not your bosses. And when your life is cut short when you have stressed yourself out at work..the company will just send a huge condolence wreath for your funeral..and yes there is insurance money but you do not get to enjoy it.  So people as my son says " Live life to the fullest , there is plenty of time to be dead "

Yes , money is important to live and can only be made through hard work but do not lose your precious life making it. So we ask ourselves..How much is enough?