“ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:20-21)
Recently I lamented to a close friend that I hardly travelled outside Singapore in my life. Now with my physical conditions, it is very unlikely that I would want to go anywhere. The only far away country that I travelled is Australia. May be it is the thought of having to pack and unpack (since I am always the only one does it) that put me off.
Unlike me, this friend of mine travelled far away for holiday every year-end with her husband and her only child (a son). To her, it is a time of bonding as a family, and a reward for her son’s efforts for working hard in his study. She thinks it is money well spent. When she shared with me what her son wrote after one of the trips in 2009 (when he was in Sec 2) that I understand fully what she meant by that:
我最喜欢的礼物
这一生中，受过的礼物不胜枚举。但令我最难忘的礼物是在我国罕见而稀有的东西。
还记得那时是十一月份，已接近大家期盼的隆重的圣诞节。父母想趁小学还没放大假，带我去日本的北海道跟着导游游玩七天。那是已快接近冬天，刺骨的寒风不时迎面吹来，使我们觉得不但冷还有一种使人从睡梦醒来的感觉。虽然游玩了短短的七天，让我在离开时有非笔墨所能形容的依恋，但我经历的感受只有用两个字才能表示出来：享受。
在那七天里，有不少时候下着雪。那雪轻轻地飘，慢慢地落，一碰到地时，就化成水。那时我们一家三口平生第一次看到雪，心中的喜悦是非笔墨所能形容的。我们便开始玩雪，像小孩子玩水一样，我们都感到有兴奋又开心。虽然身处冰天雪地，非常寒冷，但心中非常温暖，因为这雪是父母用钱“卖”来的，是靠她们我才有幸接触到真实的雪。
圣诞节时，常常会挂着一些上面有雪的装饰品。这对我们深处在热带的人，几乎没有意义。可是我在北海道所看到的雪是父母这一生储蓄的血汗钱用在我的身上。这令我感激万分，因为父母对子女的爱是不求回报的付出。
在那七天的旅程中，有一次，我们的巴士正在穿过隧道，当传出隧道时，从刚才得枝繁叶茂的环境里一下子转到了一个冰天雪地的环境。我心想：哇！好美的雪啊！树上点缀着一层薄薄的雪，地面覆盖着厚厚的雪。我的脚踏上去时，雪地上便会留下一个洞，上面印着我的脚印。我决定做戏里面常看见的事，丢雪球。雪球看起来很松软，但打到墙壁上的时候便会变成一枚“手榴弹”。我真的好兴奋啊，因为在新加坡，一个热带地区，虽然听别人说过玩雪时的情景，可是那对我来说可是个又陌生又新奇的。而且，父母非常节俭，不常带我出国，我没有机会接触到雪。
就在那时，恰巧和雪不期而遇，这突如其来的雪把我们一家三口给迷住了。对一个常旅游的人来说，雪景可能是司空见惯了。但对一个由父母费尽心力和金钱的孩子来说，那冰冷的雪打在他身上确实令人温暖的，因为那是父母的养育之恩和无尽的关怀。
对我来说，手中的雪虽很快会溶化成水，雪只是短暂的。但这雪所包含的意义却永远印在我的脑海和心中，因为那是父母送给我最珍贵的礼物。我对父母对我的关心是多么感激，在那时那刻我下定决心对自己说：“我一定要报答父母的养育之恩！”
I am really amazed by how he gives such a boring essay title a unique touch and an intriguing twist. Most students would have approached this subject by adopting the run-of-the mill style. I felt a deep warm current flown into my heart after reading it instead of the coldness of Hokkaido snow. I am glad that my command of Chinese (I studied in a Chinese primary school) is still good enough to be able to appreciate the content of the essay better.
How blessed are we as parents if our children would likewise express their warmed appreciations of what we have unselfishly showered upon them!
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