Hachikō - Dogged Devotion

Haven't gone for movies for a long time, it used to be my favorite thing to do during courtship days. I'm missing the Large popcorn, chips dipped in warm melted cheese and the muscular arm next to me, hehe! :D

Tryphena passed us a DVD on Sunday, so after the kids have gone to bed(they usually turned in early on Sunday night), we took time off from "FBing" and watch this movie, Hachi: A Dog's Tale, starring Richard Gere.


Based on a true story from Japan, this is such a moving film about a dog's loyalty. And what impressive loyalty this dog exuberant!

Parker, a college professor, found a loss Japanese Akita puppy at the train station, brought it home and finally kept it as a pet after failing to find it's owner. He called the puppy Hachi, which is a translation of the symbol in the puppy's collar.

Years pass and their love for each other grew. Every morning, Parker walks Hachi to the station where he leaves on the train. Hachi leaves after Parker's safe departure, but comes back in the afternoon to see his master's train arrive and walk with him home again. How sweet! And this continues for some time, until one fateful day, Parker passed out from cardiac arrest during his lecture and never come home.

Hachi waited. He waited for 9 years! Everyday he kept coming back to the same spot at the train station, waiting for his master to return... this is so heart breaking! Waiting for someone who will never return... this is so sad. I have never cried so hard before, this story made me cried so hard! :(



Remember I said this is a true story? I did a search on internet the next day and was surprise to see there's even a write-out from Wikipedia: Hachikō.

Hachikō!

I was amazed at the true story.. Hachikō eventually became a national symbol of loyalty. And WOW, his stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo!

The legendary faithful~

And on Youtube, I found this interesting News report by CBS Evening News. I like how the video ended with this "A dog who was forever lonely for one more pat on the head, one last moment of his master's love." So, so touching~~

"Hachiko: A Dog's Story of Loyalty in Tokyo"A permanent fixture at the train station

Alrighty! As if its not enough, during my devotion on the same day, ODB article was
"Dogged Devotion, September 20, 2010 — by Julie Ackerman Link" How timely!

Maggie(the pet dog) doesn’t care much for television. She would rather look out a window than stare at a small screen. Reading doesn’t thrill her either. She has been known to “chew” on books, but only in the strictly literal sense. Nevertheless, when Jay and I read or watch TV, Maggie participates. Even though she doesn’t enjoy what we’re doing, she enjoys being with us. Maggie is our very devoted dog. More than anything (well, just about anything) Maggie wants to be with us.

The word dogged means “determined and persistent.” These words describe Maggie. They should also describe us. When we are devoted to God, we want to be with Him even when He’s doing something that makes no sense to us. We may ask, “Why, Lord?” when He seems angry (Ps. 88:14) or when He seems to be napping (44:23), or when the wicked prosper (Jer. 12:1). But when we remain devoted to God despite our questions, we find fullness of joy in His presence (Ps. 16:11).

Jesus knew that we would have questions. To prepare us for them, He urged us to abide in His love (John 15:9-10). Even when God’s ways are inexplicable, His love is reliable. So we remain doggedly devoted to Him.

Never should our love be just a word,
A passing phase, a brief emotion;
But love that honors Christ our Lord
Responds to Him with deep devotion. —Hess

We find joy when we learn to abide in Jesus’ love.

In Your presence is fullness of joy. —Psalm 16:11

忠心耿耿

玫琪不太在意电视，宁可看着窗外，也不盯着小方格荧幕看。它对阅读也不特别感兴趣，虽然它爱「啃」书是众所周知的，当然，这个啃还真的是字面上意思。不过，当我和先生杰一起看书或看电视的时候，玫琪总会加入我们，即便它并不喜欢我们做的事，却喜欢和我们待在一起。玫琪是我们忠心的狗儿，倍受宠爱的狗儿！它总是喜欢和我们在一起。

「忠心耿耿」这个词汇代表恒久的决心，这些字眼描写玫琪的特质，也能用在我们自己身上。当我们对上帝忠心时，即使有的时候，上帝做的事我们一点也不明白，我们也想要和祂同在。在祂似乎生气（诗篇88篇14节）；或似乎正打盹（诗篇44篇23节）；或当恶人亨通时（耶利米书12章1节），我们可能会问：「主啊！为什么这样呢！」但是，虽然我们心中充满困扰，却仍能对上帝忠心耿耿时，我们就会因祂的同在而满心喜乐（诗篇16篇11节）。

耶稣基督知道我们心中会产生疑问，为了解除我们的困惑，祂激励我们常在祂的爱里（约翰福音15章9-10节）。虽然我们不明白上帝的道路，但祂的爱却可靠无比，因此让我们永远对祂忠心。JAL

爱不仅是一个单字，
一句话儿一首好诗；
爱是荣耀我主基督，
此情不移此志不矢。Hess

在祂的爱中安静等候，就得满足的喜乐！

「在你面前有满足的喜乐。」（诗篇16篇11节）

I read too the Chinese translation as I didn't want to miss out what God wants to show me. Personally, I'm not a dog lover, I'm more of a cat woman, haha! After today, I truly understand what dog lovers always claim, "A dog is faithful to his master." I want to be a dog to my God! I want to be faithful!

Faithful till death~
至死忠心~

I want to find times to be with my Maker, for there is Joy in His present. There is nothing to lose, but everything to gain. His Love, Joy and Peace are for those who seek Him! :)

God's love is reliable. So we remain doggedly devoted to Him~

但祂的爱却可靠无比，因此让我们永远对祂忠心~

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

詩 篇 16:11
你 必 将 生 命 的 道 路 指 示 我 。 在 你 面 前 有 满 足 的 喜 乐 ； 在 你 右 手 中 有 永 远 的 福 乐 。

You've Got Message...

"Good morning, my love :x Still remember this exciting day 13 years ago? The day when you officially belong to me :D The day when you looked the most beautiful and became the center of attraction. The day we counted ang-pow until our hands went wobbly. Thank God that He gave me my heart's desire and grace for the past 13 years. May He give us more grace and may our love grow from strength to strength. Finally, if given the chance to choose all over, I will still say "I do!" Reading MM Lee's interview, reminded us to be grateful for each other. May we continue to love Jesus and each other until He comes again. Maranatha!"

Received this SMS when I was in the office... Thank you, Philip, for your lovely short message~ Yes, may we continue to love our Lord, the Saviour of our souls and each other until He comes again for us. Maran-atha!!

I find it significant that on the eve of our 13th WA, Sunday Times published an interview of our Minister Mentor Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, by Seth Mydans of The New York Times. You can read it in the New York Times’ Saturday Profile. In the interview, MM Lee spoke of his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, 89...

“I’m reaching 87, trying to keep fit, presenting a vigorous figure, and it’s an effort, and is it worth the effort?” he said. “I laugh at myself trying to keep a bold front. It’s become my habit. I just carry on.”

His most difficult moments come at the end of each day, he said, as he sits by the bedside of his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, 89, who has been unable to move or speak for more than two years. She had been by his side, a confidante and counselor, since they were law students in London.

“She understands when I talk to her, which I do every night,” he said. “She keeps awake for me; I tell her about my day’s work, read her favorite poems.” He opened a big spreadsheet to show his reading list, books by Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling and Lewis Carroll as well as the sonnets of Shakespeare.

Lately, he said, he had been looking at Christian marriage vows and was drawn to the words: “To love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse till death do us part.”

“I told her, ‘I would try and keep you company for as long as I can.’ That’s life. She understood.” But he also said: “I’m not sure who’s going first, whether she or me.”

I fight back my tears reading this... the stress of his wife’s illness is constant and harder on him than stresses he faced for years in the political arena, my heart went out to our dear MM Lee. It is really hard when someone so dear to you is fighting to live on. I wonder if I ever could take it if Philip were to leave this world before I do... I used to tell him that he is not allow to go before me!

MM Lee was drawn to the words of the Christian marriage vows lately, I have plans to review the marriage vows on our WA as a yearly practice, on top of the celebration. :)

I, Lydia,

take you Philip,

to be my wedded husband,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

for better for worse,

for richer for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish,

'til death do us part:

according to God's holy ordinance,

and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness.

Lydia ♥ Philip

"Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." - Matthew 19:6

Dear Philip, I think of us growing old gracefully together and enjoy watching our children graduate from school; start working; get married and bringing forth godly offspring. I think of us being rapture together, haha! A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, God has united us together in a covenant relationship with Him as one, how wonderful this is! With God in our marriage, we would be fine. Let nothing separates us, not health or sickness, wealth or poverty, better or worst, and hey, not even death if Rapture comes first~ Maranatha! Maran-atha!!

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"Maranatha" is an Aramaic phrase which means "O Lord, come!" It is a prayer for the early return of Jesus Christ. If divided differently as in "Maran-atha", it becomes a declaration: "Our Lord has come!"

As these phrases may have been used as a greeting between Early Christians, Pastor taught us to greet each other too using them. So, when one greets "Maranatha"(O Lord, come!), the other replies with "Maran-atha"(Our Lord has come!). I SO love this greeting! To me, it is a great reminder of the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour! :)

Interestingly, this Aramaic phrase is being mentioned by MM Lee and more on the fleeting of life... :

“I try to busy myself,” he said, “but from time to time in idle moments, my mind goes back to the happy days we were up and about together.” Agnostic and pragmatic in his approach to life, he spoke with something like envy of people who find strength and solace in religion. “How do I comfort myself?” he asked. “Well, I say, ‘Life is just like that.’ ”

“What is next, I do not know,” he said. “Nobody has ever come back.”

But in these final years, he said, his life has been darkened by the illness of his wife and companion of 61 years, bedridden and mute after a series of strokes.

At night, hearing the sounds of his wife’s discomfort in the next room, he said, he calms himself with 20 minutes of meditation, reciting a mantra he was taught by a Christian friend: “Ma-Ra-Na-Tha.”

The phrase, which is Aramaic, comes at the end of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, and can be translated in several ways. Mr. Lee said that he was told it means “Come to me, O Lord Jesus,” and that although he is not a believer, he finds the sounds soothing.

Oh, how I pray that it is more than just meditation, but a sincere cry out to Jesus Christ, God's Only Son; Who was and is and is to come!

Jesus came 2000 years ago. He took the punishment of our sins upon Himself and paid the price by dying on the cross. He didn't remain dead, He came back to life! History recorded that Jesus rose again on the 3rd day and showed Himself to His disciples for 40 days. Then He was ascended into Heaven, seated now at the right hand of God. Angels appeared proclaiming that Jesus is coming back again in the same way He's been ascended.

Jesus Christ did come back. He conquer death. You can too, Mr MM Lee. And my sincere prayer to God is that you may find Eternal Life in Christ Jesus. :)

Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

FREE Desktop Wallpapers!

Been receiving newsletters from CrossDaily.com since June'09 when Philip sent me an Ecard, only till April'10 that I bordered to check out their Christian Graphics... found this Calendar Download and LOVE it!

My present desktop
My first's
My Favourite!

It used to be pictures of my baby, now it's scenery with Calendar adorning my desktop, coupled with Scriptures~ I'm blessed with new fresh thoughts by it every month... No worries, my sweet baby, I still get to see you in my mobile's wallpaper ;)

Given 4 types of calendar to chose from every month, these were my choices:













As I only started in April, I check back and thought I would have chosen the following for March, Feb and Jan:






Now go ahead and click away: Calendar Download, and set your desktop to some beautiful, inspiring Calendar~