Mr. Tan (not his real name) spent his adulthood running a chicken rice stall and now resides in our home. We had the pleasure of spending an hour chatting with him and listening to his life stories.
During the conversation, he shared that he was once a notorious child — until one day, he saw his mother working tirelessly to keep the family financially afloat. That moment changed him. He made a decision to help her from then on. The chicken rice recipe was eventually passed down to Mr. Tan, and he believes that without this secret recipe, his family would have fallen into dire straits.
Today, Mr. Tan is one of our most cheerful residents. A smile is almost always on his face, and he brings joy to the friends around him in the ward.
When asked, "What is one thing you'd like to tell the younger generation if you had the chance?" Mr. Tan replied without hesitation, "Appreciate what you have — especially your parents." What a powerful reminder to never take anything for granted. We thank Mr. Tan for sharing his heartfelt stories with us.