A hero as defined by Webster dictionary is a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. There is nothing about social status, income bracket or scholastic abilities in that definition. One of the heroes in my life would have fallen into the lowest strata had the above mentioned qualities were measured.
She is my neighbor Madam Lim. Yet her qualities of selflessness and courage to face up to the tribulations of life put her firmly on top of the list of people I admire. Life deals the most unfair cards. There are those who are smart, come from well to do family and excel at sports. Then you have Madam Lim who was widowed at the age of 38, with 3 kids to feed and poorly equipped to do so. She is an illerate who did not complete primary school. Her family is not there to extend a helping hand because though life can be cruel, humans might be more cruel.
For the love of her children, she took on the mantel of both a father and a mother. Still fresh with grief over the loss of her cancer striken husband, she went to look for a job to feed her kids. It took her a long search and many rejections before she found a job as a cleaner with meagre pay. There were no resentment but hopes that she pin on her children. She did not teach them the importance of money even though they were poor. She taught them the importance of integrity and diligence. What she failed to give to them in terms of pocket money and luxury items, she more than make it up to them with her love and time.
Her plight made many residents notice her, but her resolve caused them to respect her. We would talk to her in the lift or at the market. There was never a complaint that life is harsh. Instead she reckons that at every corner there is an opportunity and each closed door means another one opens. Her kids were polite and well behaved, earning the envious looks of many mothers in the same block.
She was always ready to lend a helping hand. When my grandfather passed away, she offered to look after my grandmother so my mother could return to Malaysia for the funeral. She declined any money offered to her for her efforts. She showed us that she may be poor, but she is not lacking in character.