I was so impressed by my wife's thank-you email to all the people who had played a part in the biggest event she had organized in her life - my 50th birthday, that I thought I want to post it on my blog so that it is never lost.
This one email speaks volumes to all her efforts over the months. She is a very detailed person and she had used that trait for good to make the whole birthday event one that we will never forget. I am so proud of her and am so overwhelmed by her love for me and her deep commitment to us all as family. I have often said that she is the best decision I have made. She just keeps proving that to be true, year after year, season after season.
Thank-you so much for everything you have done, Honey. I cannot love you enough!
Here is the email:
Dear One and All
Thank-you for the gift of your presence on Saturday,16 May 2009, making the celebration of Pastor’s 50th Birthday such a memorable occasion. Many of you had to make your way to “ulu” Seletar Country Club without the convenience of bus or MRT; had to juggle family and work commitments and pressing deadlines just to be present. Thank-you.
Allow me to also express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the following for having made that day such a wonderful and heartwarming experience for us all.
• Othniel – for trying your best to make it in good time, amidst family commitments, to share your tribute with honesty and sincerity and for playing the guitar during the birthday song dedication.
• Weijie – for delivering one of Pastor’s favourite soulful numbers with such style
• Joel Kang & Reuben – for coming up with the fantastically funny and yet apt lyrics
• Jeanette – for so willingly representing the RAYs team to give a tribute to Pastor
• Lydia Lee – for your labour of love in creatively putting together the b’day blessings from RAYs cum 2010 calendar despite your heavy school commitments
• Lisa – for your jovial and lighthearted tribute to Pastor; we enjoyed the “gift” tango you had with Pastor too.
• Chinese Church Leaders – for coming together so spontaneously for the song item
• James – for your sincere tribute and the simple, yet meaningfully penned poem ( didn’t know you had such poetic inclinations )
• Staff Team – for the hours of practice put in to deliver a most delightful and exhilarating Bollywood dance rendition - we had so much fun watching!
• Roslyn – for choreographing the dance and leading the staff in all the practices
• Karen – for the idea of the Bollywood dance to totally surprise and floor Pastor and for manning the registration table
• Jessica – for having painstakingly and thoughtfully prepared your tribute to Pastor and for manning the registration table
• Mrs Lim Soo Peng , Derrick & Julia, Winston, Isabel & Siew Mei – for your lovingly prepared home-baked cakes and heartfelt blessings for Pastor ( Mrs Lim’s cake came from another dear senior member of Agape, Mrs Chua )
• Siew Mei – for volunteering to pick up the huge durian cake and for her recommendation of a reasonably priced florist
• Kelvin – for leading in the b’day song and together with his wife, Grace, for videoing Isabel & Jose in East Timor last Nov
• Roger – for so spontaneously and fittingly rounding up the occasion with one of Pastor’s favourites “Great Is The Lord”
• Daday and Marivel – for having so patiently and efficiently pumped up all the balloons, decorating the railings, thus creating a celebrative feel, for the beautiful floral arrangements of the roses and gerberas for the registration table, dining and coffee tables.
• Ps Sok Hwee – for responding with such a novel idea ( leaders sending an email thread of b’day blessings to Pastor, while keeping all in the loop ) when called upon to gather together blessings from the Cell Shepherds and Block Shepherds.
• Fanny – for the novel idea of putting together b’day greetings for Pastor ( huge brightly coloured cards ) from the Chinese Church leaders, upon my request
• Thomas Franks – for tirelessly doing yet another video recording
• Terence Ng - for sacrificially being the photographer for the day
• Candy See – for so painstakingly and artistically bringing 70 over old pics to life in the photo montage, amidst moving house ( the glare in Eagle’s View did not do justice to her work; will upload in FB )
• Lester & Sabrina – for their brilliant ideas and fine art work in putting together the specially prepared paper for all to pen their words for Pastor; Sabrina – for manning the registration table and for preparing the powerpoint “Happy 50th Birthday Pastor Guna” “Celebrating God’s Faithfulness, Grace and Mercy”
• Jennifer – for helping me get the flowers at very late notice
• Ps Lili – for liaising with the Staff Team for this whole celebration; for injecting humour and fun through her powerpoint presentation of the 10 Hidden Truths About Pastor Guna )
• Ps Lili and Jennifer – for helping me hide Thea so well ( the Out of Order sign at the ladies’ toilet was such an excellent idea!! – so sorry ladies if you had to be redirected to the toilet outside….I’m sure you now know why ); for ensuring the order of the programme, especially the cake cutting segment, was smoothly carried out.
• Thea – for traversing across continents ( actually having to take 3 train connections before reaching the airport ), for missing her lectures so close to her exams, for dialoguing and contributing her ideas; for penning the first letter of invite and for videoing the Ross Family in Scotland
• Reuben – for video recording Ps Jimmy Boh, Lawrence Chua, Edmund Chan and Lai Kheng, putting together the CD compilation of his dad’s favourite Christian songs and secular oldies, liaising with RAYs for the item, for helping me out the invites and reminder email plus looking into all the technical aspects of the event despite a very heavy school and work commitment
• My dear, dear husband – for bearing with all the secrecy, conspiracy, lies, cover-ups and temporary depression.
Thank-you one and all.
Last, but definitely not the least, thank you Lord for making all of this possible. You are truly the source of all our ideas and creativity, all our strength and all our provisions. The blessings that we have and who we are today, we owe to You.
Gratefully
Christina
