I am not fond of going out to parties and attending celebrations (very unlike of me when I was younger). But yesterday I attended a “Pithi Bon Katanyu” ពីធីបុណ្យកតញ្ញូ upon the invitation of Boneth, a former student of mine. It’s a celebration of gratitude organized by the children for their parents. When I arrived some time in the afternoon I saw some Buddhist monks from Veal Renh gathered in prayer to bless the couple. Afterwards all were invited to partake of the food at table. Incidentally Buddhist monks have a rule that they can eat only before noon so they were whisked back to their monastery (wat). Lucky for me - my monk-type affiliation allows me to fast only on Good Fridays. And I got to enjoy the chicken curry dish and pork stew.
Boneth’s father had a stroke a couple of years back. He used to drive their passenger van to and fro the Sihanoukville-Phnom Penh route as their means of livelihood. Now he sits half paralyzed on his wheel chair and unable to talk properly. But you can see from his gleaming eyes, vibrant hand gestures, and happy moanings that he is thankful for the gift of life and his beautiful family. Boneth now works to support her father and mother to show her gratitude to them. Her job at RHAC brings her to remote villages all over Kampong Saom province traveling alone in her motorcycle to distribute materials and instruct village people on family planning. She’s already had one fatal accident along these rough and dangerous Cambodian roads. But even this “brush with death” could not dampen her spirit nor cause her to lose focus on her life’s goals.
Now You know why I could not refuse her invitation. She is a witness to life.
Remember those guys Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip and Nathanael? With a simple invitation You said: "come and see," ... and were they able to refuse?