Last weekend after the HopeKids Service & Christmas rehearsal, I went on a short trip to KL. This time I brought May Ann and with a bag pack each we hopped on a bus to rush to a high-school friend's wedding at the Concorde Hotel in KL. Our target arrival time was 7pm (just in time for the wedding) but we arrived at 8:30pm because of an unusual traffic jam at the North South highway. It was right before the bride and bridgeroom's walk-in to the ballroom. Oh how wedding banquets encourage late comers I don't quite understand. Maybe people who were early, had a much better time but I was just glad to have made it.

I was a wee bit disappointed because there were only 2 familiar faces. These were friends I haven't met for almost 15 years. Both are married and came accompanied with wives and children. It was nice catching up with them and learning about what happened after all these years. It was more an update what we are now doing rather than what we have become. However I was glad to at least be able to share what I'm devoted to and my belief in the glory of the church.

The trip was really short as I was set packing for home after lunch the next day. In the morning, May Ann got to play with her two cousins Tiffany and Annabel and I caught up with my second brother who came from Australia who has just announced his engagement to a wonderful girl whom I've meet when she was touring Singapore. You see, she is a professional skater and is now on a tour in Asia with the Hollywood on Ice team. I'm very happy for him. He is a brother I got closer to, more in our absence than when we were living together. He asked me to be his bestman for his wedding day and I smiled an OK.

Without pre-booking our return tickets, we were thankful not having to wait for a long time for a coach. We managed to get a pair of good tickets 15 minutes before that coach departs. May Ann enjoyed her short trip and while she was sleeping on the way back, I reflected upon coming home. Though the trip was short, I missed Mag and the other kids and I missed the stuff that made me here in Singapore.

I started to think about how the prodigal son would feel when he was coming home. Well I thought unlike him I wasn't unsure if I will be accepted back home, I was confident I will be loved. Of course the prodigal son's fear was unfounded as he later learned how forgiving and accepting his father was to his coming home. I thought if that was so for him who have sinned and walked away, what about us believers who have just made 'short trips'. Shouldn't those who have kept remaining in the Father's love be even more filled with joy and gratefulness not having spiritually left.

Mag and Mei Si picked us up at the Bedok Hawker centre when we arrived and we had a great time catching up over supper like we have been gone for weeks. May Ann had small presents for everyone. I felt like it was the longest 2 days I was away but it taught me the everlasting joy of coming home.