Second service.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact,

you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries;

avoid all entanglements;

lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless-

-it will change.

It will not be broken;

it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

- C. S Lewis

Love anything at all, and your heart will certainly be broken.

I suppose, it was only a matter of time I got hurt. I left church with a bad taste in my mouth yesterday. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. I love that place, the people too much. A few incidents shouldn't change things. Nonetheless, I was disappointed with what had happened. I felt like crying but I didn't.

I was about to leave when little Andrew, with his big bambi eyes popped up in front of me.

"Jiejie Wai Jia, we learnt a lot today."

I wasn't on duty teaching Sunday school so another teacher had taught his class.

"Oh really, that's awesome Andrew. What did you learn?"

"Er, we did a recap. Of everything!"

"Which was?"

" A recap!!"

I was about to leave when you gave me a big hug. You were so small your hands only reached up to my waist and your head was buried in my belly.

"See Jiejie Wai Jia, I have a box. I let Keean have the present. Cos I remembered the first shall be last and the last shall be first, so I took the box. And see, I've one sweet inside this big box. I like my box. Do you want a sweet?"

"No dear, it's okay. You save it for yourself."

His mother comes over, asks about his son in my class. I tell her he's WONDERFUL to have and she beams with pride.

"But I didn't teach him today, I wasn't on duty. I'll be teaching him next week."

"Oh," I said as an afterthought, "But I'm teaching the second service, not the first, so looks like I won't see you Andrew."

And then almost immediately, he turns on his bambi charm with mummy and says, "Mummy, can I attend second service next week? Jiejie Wai Jia is teaching during second service."

I am embarrassed by this, but his mother says, "Sure, Andrew. Okay."

And then just about this time I really feel like crying. Love you too, Andrew.

I love this place and the people too much.