I do love to be by the sea

Today was a sparkling day, one that made all the trials and tribulations of a cross continental move worth it.

We spent the day in Pasir Ris park celebrating our nephew as he turned 5. He has another full blown superhero party later in the month but today was just about being with family, taking advantage of the breezy bright weather and the great outdoors. Four adults and three kids (he had a friend along for the day) and a huge empty park = mega day.

We ate a huge picnic and played and played and played. From football to tennis to swings and sandcastles, from scooting to aimless running. The brothers and their respective sons (who refer to each other as 'twins and best friends') and the mothers and their additional little friend had a blast.

It was not lost on me though that this is a bittersweet day for me. It's the day we lost my Muthasan two years ago. I still think of him everyday. And today I woke up knowing that we were about to have a day of celebration with little room for my mourning or thoughts.

Pasir Ris park is by the sea and there is a thin very uninspiring strip of beach. But I snatched a few minutes away from the excitement of youth to go and stand by the beautiful blue sea, my way of honouring a man who loved the beach and sea, and thinking about my grandfather. The sun shone, ships meandered past and a group of kids kayaked in a designated area. It was the perfect setting to stop and honour him. As the years go by it will no doubt get harder to remember all the little things that made the whole. But today in my fifteen minutes I recalled so many snippets of time and conversations that I had with him.

In every way it turned out to be a day of celebration. Celebrating a gorgeous little boy as he grows from strength to strength and the exemplary life of my grandfather gone by.