My home is in Malaysia, a place called Tanjung Sepat. It is a small fishing village near the sea. Where the skies are blue, the clouds are white and sunny all the time. You can see a 3 storey big house from far away by the roadside. It is my home.
My grandfather built the house even before I was born. He planted a Christmas tree when he started building the house. The tree is very tall now. It’s grandpa’s favorite! The tree is just like grandpa’s old friend, seeing how the house was built and seeing the family members growing.
Grandpa hopes that no matter how far his kids are, they always know that they have a warm home waiting for them to come home to. Grandpa is very skinny, but to me he is a very strong and powerful man.
Grandma told me that they were poor when she married Grandpa. He worked very hard and finally he owned 5 big buses to support the family. The people in the village all respect him due to his loyal and reliable personality. Grandma’s parents did not agree with their marriage at first, but after they get to know Grandpa better, everyone in the family liked him.
The “ Lover Bridge in Tanjung Sepat is very famous. Grandma said it was grandpa who led the people in the village to build it to help their fishing work. We still keep the photo of grandpa and the villagers building the bridge. In the photo, grandfather is still very young and handsome! The wooden bridge doesn’t look very special. But it is now a famous tourist attraction in Tanjung Sepat. Everyone who travels here will walk by the “Lover Bridge ” to take pictures.
Grandpa left us when the flowers were all blooming. The whole family was very sad. Almost everyone in the village attended his funeral. And there were a lot people from outside of the village that I do not know.
When I see the Rhododendron in our yard, I think of my grandpa, He told me he loved rhododendron. That’s why our yard is full of it. He says the flowers are just like our smiling faces. I think, my grandfather in heaven would like to see us smile, and not be sad! So, I will not cry.
Grandpa in heaven, do you see me and the rhododendron flowers smiling at you?