Catch

Lessons with Andy (19th October)

Topic: On uncertainty and the Christian perspective on how to seek comfort

Verse: Romans 8:26-28, James 4:13-15

26 - Holy Spirit helps in our infirmities (weaknesses), helps verbalise our feelings into words, 28 - rephrase "according to His purpose " as "followers of Christianity"

The Conviction of the Christian is that good will come out of those who follow God. God puts things into place in His own time. 

My personal concern is time. It's taking longer than expected, so that where the uncertainty sets in.

To trust in God's plan as our lives are just a tidy dot in the grander scheme of things. To transfer the confidence from myself, onto God, and to depend on God's capability. 

This is a change in mindset to place the faith in God instead of yourself. It seems that once the "task" is done that Christians will move on, and not dwell on how the task went (like worrying how the job interview went). They just move on once it's over.

It's how to let go. Giving control rather than taking control.

Backlog

Unemployment has been bearing its fangs.  Days blend together and everything just meshed into one thing.  Overdue lesson notes below.

26th September (physical church gathering)

Bible Class Topic: Definition of a fool

1) Defined in Psalms 14:1, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 28:26

- Does not have God in their heart

- Does not fear God

- Despises the wisdom of God and His instructions 

2) Wrong worldview 

- Heart (not knowledge) isn't centered (inclined to left or right) 

- A fool doesn't believe in the existence of God 

- Wrong worldview leads to destruction (digging a pit while standing in it) 

3) Actions reveal their nature 

- Denies God and commits sin 

- Inconsistent in their beliefs

Verse: Ecclesiastes 10

V1-3 Foolishness can result in poor reputation. Reputation can be easily ruined, compared to putrefied stench

-Cases of foolishness, Moses sticking the rock, David on Bethsheeba

V5-7 a fool is evil, and seeks to attain power (ref to quote that power corrupts entirely) 

V10 a fool is unprepared. 

V12-14 a fool is talkative. Empty vessels make the most noise. 

V15- a fool is incompetent, wasting time

V16-17 over-indulgent

V17-18 indifferent, uses money to solve everything, indifference to sin 

V20 indiscretion, talking without thinking (gossip) 

Commit

29th August

Topic: Commitment and how a Christian lives their life.

In our previous class we did go over to how Jesus said that he'll bring division. And that division might be between religion and family, even if that wasn't his intention.

Verse: Matthew 6:24, 33-34

You cannot serve two masters. It isn't easy to live a life of duplicity/multiplicity. If you choose not to serve Christ, you're conversely choosing to serve yourself.

"Serving two masters" here doesn't mean having to sacrifice your standard/quality of life for Jesus. Human needs (food, shelter, reputation, riches, etc) are not what needs to be compromised here. You cannot be consumed by the need for consumption (like being too caught up in accumulating wealth, for example).

The requirement of being a Christian is stated in Ephesians 6. Be a good son, lawful husband and all that. 

Verse: I Corinthians 13:4-8

History: the apostle Paul is teaching new followers what Christianity is all about, in the place of Corinth. 

Question: how to live a life while being different to others, as you're a Christian. Below would be more towards Buddhism/Taoism vs Christianity. 

It's not just the communication with family but explaining to them why a Christian can/cannot do for religious practices/worship. And of course, discussing this beforehand.  Conversations should not be clashes, but interactions to foster tolerance and understanding.  Physical act and meaning as to why you can't hold joss sticks, for example.

Love, is the fundamental thing to Christianity. Love should be the motivation.  

Homework: what's stopping you (Fang, psychologically and spiritually especially) in commitment towards Christ? Any doubts or questions?

Note: This, I have a lot of doubts over.

Family

Last week, my granduncle (paternal grandmother's younger brother) had shared a couple of writeups in the family WhatsApp group, one for each of my grandparents.

Needless to say, I cried a lot, reading it. I miss my grandfather dearly.

Here are the excerpts:

Chew Family History Chapter 5.1
My 2nd brother in law Lim Heng Shea(林廷协) was born on 11/04/1932 . He was known by all, young or old as “Uncle Lim”. Even my mother would address her son in law as Uncle Lim. He had no choice but to accept the honour.

He was once the Chairman of the Seremban Chung Hua Old Students Association (芙中校友会). During his term of tenure, he helped Chung Hua High School to get a piece of land from the government to build sports complex which is adjacent to the Chinese Maternity Hospital. He also helped to acquire piece of land in town to erect the present Old Students Association. His untiring efforts to acquire the lands was witnessed by lawyer Soo lin Pong (苏林邦）who was also the ex president of the association and member of the School Board .
He was very strict in his office and definitely no corruption business occurred under his care. On one occasion when the father of my student (Mr Yoong 熊天盛) talked about him, he said “Do not play a fool with Engineer Lim”. He would not accept any bribe to expedite the job. The job should be completed according to schedule set. Mr Yoong occupied the house in Limbok vacated by Chin Yee’s grandfather many years ago.

During one concert when my Choir performed in Seremban, I told him we would be pleased to see some bouquets on stage. On hearing that he phoned to many people to bless our Choir with bouquets that filled up the stage. All of us were so pleased with the greetings that we sang with smiles throughout the performance.

Every time when I returned home from KL, he would definitely asked me what time I would return to KL. Knowing my schedule, he made sure I had the dinner in his house before departure whether early or late. He was an excellent chef, very good at cooking beef. There was one instance when my music friend Mr Voon came to the house for lunch, Mr Voon finished off all the beef (很不客气的叫好）. This showed how tasty the food was. His dish of potatoes cubes fried in minced meat was the love of all although it was originally meant for the children. There was no way for all adults to reject. His needle glass noodle fried with the ingredients after prayer (神台的冬粉，冬菇，金针等） would be another dish unforgettable. It would not be complete if I do not mention that he could fry the slices of chicken drum with garlic and back soya sauce to make everyone crazy. We used to prepare Popiah in Bukit Rasah and all of us would love to eat them for lunch , dinner ,even the next day for lunch if there were left over. However Uncle Lim would make sure he would take the popiah for lunch only irrespective of its taste. He would resolve to other menu for dinner, not to say the left over on the next day .He was very discipline as far as food was concern. No repeat of recipe in the same day. Of course we would ignore him and continue to eat for dinner, even the next day.

He loved his three sons and daughter in laws Lim Jit Hui & Tan Lay Guat , Lim Jit Yaw & Audrey Chong , Lim Jit Fong & Suryani very much. Unlike my sister he would neither scold nor cane his three sons. When the behaviour of the 3 kids annoyed him, he would only stare at them with his serious face. This would drive his 3 sons to hide under the table. Uncle Lim emphasized the education of all his sons. He employed a tuitor to provide his children with good foundation of languages and mathematics for several years. With strong foundations of languages, all his sons achieved excellent results in all examinations. All his grandchildren were his darlings: Fang Hao, Fang Liang, Fang Min(princess) by Jit Hui; Fang Kai, Fang Jie, Fang Pin by Jit Yaw ; Fang Chuang, Fang Chuin by Jit Fong .I had not seen him irritated by his grandchildren whenever I was with them. He simply loved them very much although he never showed off. At time with some of his grandchildren in Singapore and some in Kuching, he and my sister felt lonely in the bungalow in Seremban, Uncle Lim would drive to Damansara Utama to stay with Jit Hui, Lay Guat and the grand children. He even promised to take Fang Liang to London to watch live soccer match if he did well in his study. Unfortunately this could not be materialised as he passed away on 20/08/2009 at age of 77.

More than 50 years ago, 2nd sister and 1st sister were teaching at the same school San Min Primary(三民小学). The pupils were always confused by their presence because they resembled each other so much. At one time when my friend Lum Weng Kong (林荣光) went to San Min for some errand, he met my 1st sister at the ground floor of the school and greeted her. After finishing his business he went to the 1st floor and met my 2nd sister. He greeted her but he was very puzzled why my sister was vain, must change her dress on different floor. Actually he thought the 2nd sister on the 1st floor was my 1st sister. Later he discovered he met two different ladies who resembled each other so much. We had a good laugh when he narrated the incidence to me. Luckily my 2nd brother in law was very sharp and alert every time he fetched my sister back from school to my mother’s house for lunch. Actually my 1st sister was also fetched by my 1st brother in law from the same school to the same house for lunch.
Uncle Lim was very proactive but always on low profile. As engineer, he made arrangements for the admission of my mother to the hospitals for operation when my mother had problem with her intestine. These hospitals included Pantai Hospital, Seremban Chinese Maternity Hospital and specialists in KL. Actually he wanted to make arrangement for my eldest brother in China to come to Singapore, and fetch my mother to Singapore to meet him because she missed her eldest son very much. This was an incentive for my mother to have will power to live longer. Unfortunately she could not wait that long. She passed away in August 1986 while my eldest brother could only arrive in Singapore in December 1986. Nevertheless Uncle Lim made lots of efforts with our family friends to make arrangement for my eldest brother to arrive in Hong Kong from ZhanJiang , then to Singapore to stay at the apartment of the friend of my eldest sister for a month. At the period no one from China could have the permits to visit Malaysia although Malaysia and China had already established the diplomatic relation since 1974.

Uncle Lim was an workaholic. Throughout his life span working in Seremban Town Council as Enginner , he never took vacation leaves except for attending family matters. However he would during tea breaks patronise the coffee shop (南珍）opposite the old market to have Hainan coffee and chats with his friends. During school holidays, he would fetch the family to PD, Frasers’ Hill and Cameron Highland for families gatherings. Many of us also joined the trips to the resorts. The only overseas trips he made were the Three Gorges of Yangze Cruise(长江三峡) with us brothers and sisters in 1997. Uncle Lim and sister went to England in 2001 to visit Jit Fong and family when Jit Fong was on duty for a short period there. They toured the famous Lake District . 2nd sister was very satisfied to have purchased few pairs of Clerk shoes. She keeps them until now. With us Uncle Lim & wife toured ShanDong of China(山东之旅) in June 2008 . They travelled to Kota Kinabalu with Jit Fong and family in June 2006 for holiday.
Uncle Lim liked the company of 1st and 3rd brother in law. They would joke and argue at times. Of course Uncle Lim was always the winner with his versatile knowledge.
All of us including our relatives and his friends love and respect Uncle Lim. We miss his laughter, his food and wish him rest in peace.

---

Chew Soo Chan @ Chou Kiok Lum (周淑珍) is my 2nd sister, born in 20/9/1936. She was married to my 2nd brother-in-law Lim Heng Shea in 30/01/1964.My 2nd brother in law was an engineer, born in 11/04/1932.

Due to Japanese occupation in Malaya, all schools were used to teach Japanese language only. In 1945 when the Japanese surrendered, all schools were reopened. All my elder sisters and brothers were admitted to standard one or two according to age. My 2nd sister and 4th brother were put in the same standard one, 3rd brother and eldest sister in the higher standards. In 1946 I was admitted to standard one at age of 6. So 2nd sister and 4th brother were only one year in senior to me. As such I was able to get acquainted to many of their classmates. During examination time（初中会考） , my 2nd sister would invite her classmates including 林馥莲, 丘美霞to study together in our house. They would stay overnight in our house. 2 of them I can remember well because they were good singers and won competitions.

2nd sister was very thrifty when young. However she was very generous with family members. When she started to work as a Primary School teacher, with her low salary, she would spend on us rather than on herself. With her financial aids, we could eat kway teow as supper. During that time we stayed on the 1st floor of the shop which had only 2 staircases, both at the back of the house. One in the middle which would lead to the shop downstairs while one at the back of kitchen where we used to carry water and firewood upstairs leading to the back lane. At night we used to tie a rope to a basket where we put empty bowls and slowly lowered it to the road downstairs through the middle window upstairs. We would then yell at the hawker who had the stall located at the end of the road. On hearing us, the attendant of the stall would come to our house (walking distance) to collect the bowl or delivered the food. Going through the backdoor staircase down to the back lane of the house to the stall was too dark for us. During those time, most of the shops were without front staircase. They were introduced later as the situation demanded.
2nd sister would also use part of her salary together with that of eldest sister financially support me to study in Malayan University and 4th brother to further study in Taiwan University. Both my 4th brother and I are extremely grateful to our sisters for their kind contributions.

2nd sister has 3 children, all boys in her family. She longed to have a girl added to her family so she could dress her well. Her dream fulfilled when she had 8 grandchildren in Bukit Rasah, 7 magnificent boys and one pretty girl. You could see her smiling face everyday looking after the granddaughter.

My sister in the early days was very strict with her 3 super active sons. I used to see her searching for the cane in the house to punish the children but never saw her beating them. She only used the cane as a weapon to threaten them. However when she raised the grandchildren who stayed in Bukit Rasah at early stage, she had never scolded the grandchildren. Even when they were naughty occasionally, she would only punish them with smiles. 2nd sister is a lady who loves every member of her family and our family. During early days when our mother was very sick, she would after school, kept our mother company, always talked to her and encouraged her to take care of herself. This happened in 1986 and earlier. Similarly 2nd sister was very kind to show her sisterly love when she always whenever she could visit eldest sister in her house when my eldest sister was sick. This took place during 2016 and earlier.
When the apple of her eye, Fang Min, her granddaughter was hospitalised in the Rasah Hospital in Seremban, she and Lay Guat, Fang Min’s mother would very regularly visit her everyday praying for her early recovery when Fang Min was only less than a year old then. That happened in 1997 when my 2nd sister toured the three gorges of Yangtze River (长江三峡). After the incidence, my sister would not leave the grandchildren for overseas tour until 2008 when they grew bigger.

2nd sister has a very strong character. She would not shed tears easily. I recalled when she sent her son Jit Hui to study in Singapore, it was the first time her son had to depart from her after so many years of his stay in Seremban. When she left the apartment that Jit Hui stayed, I could see she was very sad to leave him, yet she controlled her feeling. She would not succumb to anyone who tried to be unfair to her or us whether in her school or in our house.

2nd sister is a very good cook, but she had little opportunities to show off because her loving engineer husband would let her rest after teaching in school. She is like my eldest sister has green fingers. She is very artistic and her plants always grow well and healthy. I am very glad that she gave me some plants which I still keep until today. She also likes to keep the house clean and dust free. 2nd sister would find time earlier to pay visits to her son’s family in Singapore and in Kuching as she missed the grandchildren very much.

My sister is now 85 years old, very healthy except for her weak legs like all senior folks experience. Now she lives with Jit Hui & Lay Guat in Damansara Utama, happily taken care of by them. Her memory is excellent, still the encyclopedia of Chew family history. All of us respect and love her for her kind consideration, care and generosity. We wish her long life and good health.

posted from Bloggeroid

Discussions

Back in with the Bible lessons.

17th August

Topic: Agency and control over your own life

God's actions are not entirely dictating of our lives.  He works our lives through providence.  As such, humans still have free will. 

Regarding ethnic and religious practices, it's okay for Christians to help with preparations but not partake in the worship of other deities.  God uses the forces of nature to care.  Thus, things that do not go against the laws of nature or in the form of miracles are okay to be practiced.

Romans 8:26-28 

It's in New Testament, and was written by Paul. The term "intercession" refers to a mediator/mediation.  There are some things we don't know, but the Spirit knows, and then communicates it to God.

When we ask "how?", God communicates it in two ways:

1) Don't worry about it

2) You (men) cannot understand it

James 4:13-15

Life is like a vapour. We should live through the Lord's will.

Acts 10:1-2, 48

Story of Cornelius (a Gentile, non-Jew). He's a centurion, with 18 legionaries under his command. He was giving (through alms), and he was devout.  In verse 48, he and his house were baptised.

So why did he convert?  To be saved from salvation.  We need God for the uncertainties in life, to be a source of comfort.

22nd August

God isn't a puppeteer in our lives, when people say to "give your control over to God". So you're not giving up the wheel, if that makes sense.

James 2:14-17

Practice what you preach. Important components of a Christian's life is commitment, faith and works.

Breach/Bridge

About my stressful situation?  I tendered my resignation.  It was hard, to admit to others (especially myself that I needed to let go of work).  I need to be honest and recognise that I was in a toxic work environment, and that I needed to leave for my mental wellbeing.  I had trouble sleeping, been having nightmares of work, and was dreading returning to the workplace.  It has been a huge relief to send that resignation letter.  Now, time to build towards a career I'm passionate about.  Manufacturing is definitely not for me.

I've also received my second dose of the AZ vaccine over the past weekend, making it the last member of my family to be fully vaccinated.  Can't wait to resume a life of normalcy (and to vote out this phony PN government).

It also because of work that I have been putting off my Bible class lesson(s) recap.  So this will be a long post.

11th July 

Topic: How do we get to Jesus Christ, and what does he want from us

As opposed to a marriage (with the exchanging of vows, etc), our relationship with Christianity is non-transactional.  In due time, the wisdom of what happens will come to life.

Matthew 7:21

The people in question knew of the existence of Jesus, but they didn't follow him.  That's why they weren't worthy to join God in heaven.  Jesus Christ represents the Head of the church. The church represents the body of Christ. As such, wherever Christ leads as the head, the church follows as the body. 

Back towards the comparison of marriage, the church is also a bride to Christ.  The church also represents the subjects of the kingdom of God, with Christ as the king.

Mark 16:16

Baptism is the next step towards God. It's an action.  The life of a Christian is both knowing and doing. As mentioned in Matthew 7:21, we recognise ("Lord, Lord...) and we take steps to do the will of Jesus, to be saved.

Acts 2:37-39, & 41

An additional step is to keep repenting of sins. It's a lifelong journey of bettering yourself and to stay away from sin.

In summary, the five steps of salvation:

1) Hear the word of God

2) Believe in the word of God

3) Repent of the sins/look towards to your new life

4) Confess to Jesus Christ

5) Baptism

18th & 25th July

John 6:44

No man can come to Jesus unless God pulls him in.  When the verse mentions "raise him up", this is referencing the converting of one's physical body to a spiritual body.  To go to God, you must go through Jesus, as he speaks through us from the word of God (aka the Bible) 

John 8:24-32 

If you don't believe in Jesus, you will die for your sins.  Jesus says "God is the truth, I speak the truth, and if you believe in me, then you'll join the truth and the truth shall set you free (from sins)" 

John 8:28

The words "lifting up" references Jesus when he was crucified

Hebrews 11:6

You must believe in God to be able to seek him. 

Acts 2:38

Repenting for your sins

Acts 17:30

God asks men to repent, for Judgement Day is coming.  The "times of ignorance" references to Acts 17:1-29

Romans 10:9-10

Theme: confession

Believing in your heart isn't enough; you also need to verbally confess that you believe in Jesus.  The belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  Heart for righteousness, and mouth for confessions unto salvation.  Going back to the "Steps towards Salvation", you must first hear the gospel, and then believe in the word of God.

Matthew 10:32

If you confess of Christ to others, then Jesus will acknowledge you.  Conversely, you need to confess to others, otherwise Jesus cannot speak for you. 

Mark 16:16

Those who believe in baptism will be saved. 

1 Peter 3:21

Peter clarifies that baptism isn't just the physical act of cleaning/washing oneself, but that it's action to become a Christian 

1st August

Verses: Acts 8:26-29

This lesson covers my question from a few weeks back on "what are the steps to salvation?", because in these verses, the Ethiopian eunuch (who was a jew) asked the same question as myself.

The start of this chapter talks about three characters, who are not connected to one another, but their story happened at the same time: Saul (who will later become the apostle  Paul), Simon (the Sorcerer) and Philip (the evangelist).

Philip was going down (to Gaza), while the Ethiopian eunuch was going up, towards Jerusalem, and they met in the middle.  The eunuch was reading Isaiah (Chapter 53, which was on the prophecy of Jesus), but he didn't understand what he was reading.  Philip offered to explain it to him. 

So the eunuch started by hearing the word of God, he understood it through Philip, he repented, confessed his belief of God and then asked to be baptised.   So in conclusion, Acts 8 is the reenactment of the five steps of salvation.

Read

Changes have been tough.  Growing pains, yada yada yada.

I've left my Mewah post since mid-April to join F&N Dairies (the nextdoor "competitor"), most notably for a pay bump and a raise.  Unfortunately with the bigger post comes higher expectations, and I'm struggling, really really struggling.   I'm considering leaving, but I'll tough it out until a better opportunity arises.  Until then, imma get slapped in the face as I buck up this fast-paced work environment.  

Podcast update: SciShow Tangents!  Love it, love it, love it.  Great episodes just shy of half an hour and perfect for drives, while being light-hearted and informative.  Commander's Sphere is another Magic podcast which discusses casual EDH as a format/ideas.  BM Cast, the Budget Magic cast with two bubbly co-host talking about playing Modern and EDH at a budget.

Also, I'm going to take some time to jot down my bible study lessons here.  I'm not a Christian, to clarify things.  But Jols is, and if Christianity is important to her, then I'm going to learn more about Christianity as well.  Yes, I've had many bad brushes with Christianity in the past, but I'm trying to move on.  Anyway.  Lessons for me below:

26th June

Topic: Causes of sin

Verses: 1 Peter 5:8, James 1:15, 1 John 2:16, Matthew 15:19, John 8:32, John 17:17, John 6:44 45

Simplified take home message: We're born with sin, but the devil doesn't make you commit sin.  People are tempted by sin, constantly.  Even impure thoughts are sinful, and Jesus redeems us from sin.

On the question of people with mental health issues committing sin: Sin is measured by mentality.  If it's a child, they can't sin as they're unaware that they're committing sin.  So even if someone is physically older but mentally young (like mentally challenged people), they are not at fault for committing sin.   God judges based on the mental capacity of the person, and on their consciousness. 

4th July (continuation of last week's topic)

Verses: Romans 6:23, John 3:16, Tim. 2:4, Matt 7:21, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38

There was a verse which covered it as "wages of sin", thus we are working towards sin.  Us going to/towards God has to be through Jesus.  There's another verse in talking about having conviction in the believe of/in Jesus. Trusting Jesus is what people need to do to get in touch with Jesus. Because the Truth  is God's word (John 14:6).

Anyway, that's all I got for now.  Will try to make this a more consistent thing, to get my mind off stressful things.

Growth

 I don't want this space to be remembered for only the bad times.  It would seem that only negative emotions generate the need to vent.

I want to start off by saying that I've been well, even when not in this space.  It only took me thousands of hours consuming podcast episodes and YouTube videos to realize that this blog is ultimately content, and that whether I acknowledge it or not, I'm also a content creator.

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that everything I put here, it's permanent.  At least, that is my intention.  So with that, I'd rather put some positivity here versus only the lows recorded here.  The optics of my life seemed very skewed, or maybe that's just my outlook on this place.

Malaysia at this point, has poorly managed this pandemic due to this joke of a false government (we're in a second MCO due to the third wave of cases due to the Sabahan elections).  New Zealand have resumed life as normal, and remains a testament as what good leadership is.  But echoing what BFM have repeated over their radio streams, the pandemic has given us the gift of time.

So here's a list of things I've grown to love in the past year, since MCO took effect early in 2020:

1) Podcasts 

Having the workplace be forced to move towards conference calls as opposed to physical meetings meant us relying heavily on Microsoft Teams.  So with that, comes the liberty for me to plop on my earphones and work in silence.  The introvert in me relishes how I can get away with listening to podcasts and music as I work in silo.

Shoutout to Solely Singleton, a Magic: The Gathering podcast which focuses primarily on Cube, which is my main project to keep my mind occupied in these difficult times.  Long story short, MTG is a Trading Card Game and I've been slowly growing into it ever since Kevin showed Commander to me in 2016.

I believe they're the only new podcast I've been listening to.  Oh, plus EDHRec having their own podcast show (also MTG-related, this one for the Commander format).

I like how versatile podcasts can be, since I get to listen to it while at work, commuting, or even exercising.  Also, don't sleep on increasing the playback speed!  Saves a bit more time to do other things with your time.

2) Fruits!

I've been slowly trying to take charge of my personal health.  This started by experimenting eliminating most (if not all) carbs for my dinners, and that slowly transitioned to me incorporating more fruits into my diet.  The benefits became apparent when I realized that I've more energy in me the following day, and with better bowel movement.  Plus, you can feel more full without gorging down on meals.  Not that I'll turn a good meal down!

3) Shopee/Lazada

The boon of US consumerism during my uni times have finally came to Malaysia.  E-commerce made it so much easier to purchase essentials.  I've made so many quality-of-life improvements (most of them within reason, I assure you), thanks to these sites.  I upgraded my phone, laptop, got a fitness tracker, and even bought electronic skipping ropes to workout indoors, among many other things (especially gifts).

4) Family and friends

It goes without saying that my support system also grew stronger. given some absence.  After the initial MCO, I greeted my parents with a big hug.  And coming from an Asian household, physical affection towards immediate family is rare.  Jolene and I have been steadily growing as well, and that has grown me tremendously.  I love her so, so much.

So on that note, I guess I'll conclude this write-up, feeling a bit more grateful of the things I have.  Practice kindness, and stay safe.