An experience to learn

It is Sunday again, supposedly my favourite day. 6th of December 2009, it now marks a day that I shall not forget.

First and foremost, it was the birthday of Arahant Upagutta's in Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple (DBBT), Penang. Every year, during His birthday, we'll prepare a maximum of 300 buckets. In each bucket contains a coconut, sugar cane, a box of white candles, a small packet of joss sticks, an apple, an orange with bananas at the base of it.

At 5.30am, the DBBT Sunday School members will be there to help out to carry the buckets and place it around the place where the Arahant Upagutta is located. It is a mark of respect to the Arahant.

I was there to help out as well with Auntie Ju fetching Grandma, Auntie JE and me to the temple. We were first in the kitchen to prepare the breakfast for the monks and Samaneras' before we place the buckets around the Arahant.

At approximately 6.20am, I asked Auntie Ju to fetch me to work. During work, it was pretty bored to me at first as I was sleepy. Somehow, at 2.45pm something happen! There was a lady patient whom was transferred to our hospital. She was a cancer patient. When she arrives in our ward with a stretcher on, we transferred her from it to the ward bed. She was then very tired and was already on oxygen.

In just a few minutes, when a doctor came to review her, she was already gasping. And he came out to the nursing station and asked the nurses to call for the primary doctor of this patient. Unfortunately, at the same time the internal telephone service was down and I ran to the primary doctor's clinic to inform her whereby our ward in-charge nurse was already there. When I arrived in the clinic, the in-charge nurse ordered me to go to the operator to activate for a Code Blue (cardiac arrest emergency).

Somehow, the lady didn't manage to go on. I almost cried but I knew I should not. As I'm studying nursing, although the emotional symptom is there, we must be strong and instead we are the ones who should calm the patient's relatives.

Death seems to be a very common thing to us when it is not our loved ones. But when it comes to ourself losing the one we love, we feel it. I see that some people could still laugh despite looking at those in sorrow. Do they not have feelings and why don't they try and understand of how others feel.

The lesson I learn from it, is to appreciate those around us when they are still alive. Why wanna be crying of spilt milk when they have to go back to the Lord.


May you RIP.

David Harkin quotes,

“You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she has lived.You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,or you can be full of the love you shared.You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.You can remember her only that she is gone,or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back.Or you can do what she'd want:smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”