Day 196

Three months ago, I shared some thoughts about admirable people who are secretly incredible. I even made a separate post to mainly talk about my secretly incredible father. ((Feel free to re-read it here))

This time, I am writing another special post about an admirable woman who is also secretly incredible.

To begin, I admire this person for taking a bold step of faith, more than twenty five years ago, to agree on spending the rest of her life with a man whom she never dated and who wasn't really her 'type' (according to her). Yet it was clear to her that this man was appointed by God to "make her happy" and to carry out the vision and mission God's planted in her heart. She then vowed to always be on this man’s side in good times and bad times, and to never leave him in sickness or in health. Over the years, she has been proving her submissiveness, her obedience, her love and support for her husband, despite their contrasting personality types and habits.

At first glance, she may appear as quiet and shy, but once she feels comfortable, she becomes one of the most humorous and creative beings in the room. Pulling pranks on her family members and friends is definitely one of her love languages (besides 'receiving gifts' and 'having quality time'). She often laughs at her own jokes and her laughter is so contagious that my cousin secretly audio-recorded her laughing, just so she can play it whenever she feels down and low. My sister and I would smile or burst into laughter each time we remember her habits. Her whimsical sense of humour and creativity had been demonstrated in various kinds of event she organised. She works well both behind the screen and on stage. This lady truly is a master of ceremonies!

As far as I could remember, she has never been absent in my life. In fact, she always actively seeks opportunity to participate in my and my siblings' lives. Fortunately, she has a huge zest for education and children. She was the one who tutored us in both academic and non-academic studies. She’s passed on her talent and appreciation of art, music and English to all three of us. Since we were very young, she's encouraged us to perform in public—be it singing, playing music, or dancing. It brought her so much joy. Now, every time we recall those memories, my siblings and I would groan and be so embarrassed, whereas she'd laugh out loud as usual. We suspect, she tricked us into those performances so that she’d have things to laugh about us. Hah!

Unlike her husband who tends to be outspoken and confident about his dreams and vision, she is more sensible and down-to-earth in her faith life. She's taught me to keep my feet on the ground while fixing my eyes on what is far and above. She consistently demonstrates a prayerful life, especially in seasons of confusion, fear, and doubt. In every step she takes, she strives to bring peace, harmony and joy, and deliver them to every person she meets.

She is a forgiving woman. Because of her dutiful and collected nature, some people at times seemed to suppress her. Though she felt overwhelmed, as if she's being treated unfairly by their dominance and ignorance, she didn’t hold her grudges nor treat those people with contempt. She’d retreat to seek God's peace and find rest there.

She keeps saying that she is not good at serving people with practical needs and how much she wishes to be better at doing houseworks like cooking or cleaning or tidying things up. Little did she know that her presence, gentleness and wisdom outdo all those chores. ((Oh gosh, now I’m starting to tear up a bit)) She is a good observer and thoughtful supporter. She learns the things that my siblings and I personally like, what each of us is craving for, and will buy or make those stuff for us almost right away. She doesn’t grumble when I'm being bad-tempered, cranky or harsh. She would wait until the right time to gently correct and remind me. She doesn't complain when she has to do things that aren’t very fun to do (e.g.: taking care of sick people like me or exploring unfamiliar places).

One of the many incredible traits I’ve seen in her is her lovableness. It’s hard not to love her because she displays tenderness in her interaction with other people. She's a great educator with a giant heart for little children. Teaching and training young people brings her tremendous delight. I am grateful that she gets along with so many different people, including my peers. My sister and I often tease her for being 'too trusting' (in Bahasa Indonesia: "lugu"—LOL I couldn't find the suitable word in English), but I guess that's what makes her endearing.

Lately, people have been telling me how much I look like her. While she'll be smiling to hear it because that means she's looking younger, I will usually sigh and disagree (jokingly). Even more recently, I was told that my voice when I sing sounded like hers! Whaaat?! Why?! Ha-ha. Just kidding. Of course resembling her would be an honour.

To make her feel loved, I should have bought her gifts or spent time watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix with her. This post may not mean much to her. But this is how I express my deep love and appreciation to this incredible woman, who carried me for nine months in her tiny body (back then). I feel bad that I was in a breech position when she was about to deliver me, hence she had to undergo C-section and keep the visible stitches on her skin. Whenever I see those stitches, I am reminded of Psalm 139, how He created my inmost being; knit me together in her womb.

So now, I am thanking her for "co-working" with God in making me fearfully and wonderfully. I thank her for taking up her cross and denying herself daily to fulfil her honourable duties. She is the perfect soulmate for my father and a gentle nurturer for her children.

Just like her name, she is an incredibly beautiful woman inside and out, and I am blessed to call her my mother, Mama Indah. J