Sabtu, 14 September 2013

Latih Anak Berperang

Waktu gue kecil, seorang senior, pria dan berperawakan jauh lebih besar memukul gue dengan keras..

Gue lari, nangis pulang ke rumah..Liat gue begitu, Bokap langsung nanya dan gue ceritain kejadian yang baru gue alami. Gue berharap dia akan pergi mendatangi senior gue dan membela gue...

But, he didn't. ..!

Dia justru bilang, "Cengeng! Lawan balik dong! Klo gak bisa mukul, ya tendang..Gak bisa tendang, sambit batu. Pasti ada cara ngelawan, walau musuh loe raksasa." Dia paksa gue pergi untuk lawan senior raksasa itu.

I was very disappointed.

Namun, pagi ini, gue mendapat pelajaran berharga dari peristiwa itu.

Cara Bokap memang sangat ekstrim and I won't do that to my sons. Tapi, gue kini mengerti mengapa ia perlu melakukan itu. Ia bukannya tidak bisa bela gue, tapi he had to teach me how to fight my own battle. Gak bisa toh kita minta orang tua atau orang lain yang terus2an memerangi pertempuran demi kita.

THEY HAVE THEIR OWN BATTLE, FOR GOD SAKE!

Beberapa waktu lalu, ketika anak gue dibully di sekolah, sebagai orang tua gue sangat marah, tetapi gue tahu, bahwa ini waktunya Jamie harus belajar mengatasi masalahnya dan tidak sembunyi di belakang pembelaan orang tuanya.

Gue paksa untuk dia sendiri yang melapor masalah tersebut ke gurunya..Dia sempet kesel, or maybe hated me a little. .I didn't mind, cause I need to do that for his sake.

Untuk mengetahui apakah ia sudah menyelesaikan persoalannya, diem2 gue ke sekolah dong untuk cari tahu. I was very happy, when I found out, he has already solve it with his home teacher and his peers.

Kita harus mengerti, bahwa bentuk sayang kita kepada anak-anak tidak hanya diwujudkan dalam bentuk pelukan, ciuman atau belaian. Kadang kala, demi kebaikan mereka, kita perlu mendidik, mendisiplin, bahkan melatih mereka untuk "berperang".

Mungkin terlihat "tega", tapi justru kita jahat, kalau sebagai orang tua, kita terus menerus membiarkan mereka sembunyi di balik ketiak kita. Mereka akan tumbuh menjadi pribadi yang rapuh, cengeng dan tidak bertanggung jawab.

Kecakapan mereka dalam mengatasi persoalan mereka sendiri dan kemampuan mereka bertanggung jawab adalah bekal yang harus kita siapkan bagi masa depan mereka.

I ain't a perfect parent but at least I won't stop learning. Parenting isn't easy but fun to learned.

Kamis, 23 Mei 2013

My Most Favorite Place..


Untuk membangun sebuah hubungan yang intim, tentu dibutuhkan waktu yang loe habiskan berdua saja dengan seseorang, kan? Begitu juga dengan Bapa..

To be in an intimate relationship with HIM, you must spend time alone with Him. Alone, only you and Him..

Caranya, kadangkala gue masuk kamar, menutup pintu, pasang earphone, sing my praises, my worship and then I pray..

Namun adakalanya waktu and sikon tidak memungkinkan, so di meja kerja, gue pasang headphone, denger lagu pujian or dengerin rekaman khotbah dr hamba2 Tuhan... 

Tetapi, sebenarnya tempat terfavorit gue untuk bersekutu dengan Bapa adalah di JALANAN...Aneh kan?
Mungkin karena gue bekas anak jalanan kah? Hihihi..Yang jelas sih, hal ini sudah berlangsung sejak gue kenal Yesus 20 thn lalu.

Dulu waktu masih sekolah, tiap gue sesek krn masalah di rumah, gue seneng pergi ke Taman Panglima Polim, yg letaknya persis di depan sekolah SMP gue. Nah, menuju ke sana biasanya gue naik bajay. Secara suara bajay itu amat sangat banter alias kuenceeeeeeng alias memekakkan telinga, gue bisa bebas nangis, nyanyi and berdoa..:) 

Gue masih inget lagu yg sering gue nyanyiin sambil nangis di bajay kala itu adalah lagu dr Kidung Jemaat yang liriknya begini: 

"Kepada-Mu kuberdoa dan kupinta..Ulurkanlah tangan kasih-Mu padaku..Karna kutahu Kau selalu di sisiku...."

Setelah kuliah dan diberkati oleh sebuah mobil, gaya kencan gue dengan Bapa tentu ganti dong..Nyetir sendiri, sambil nyanyi, nangis dan doa ngelilingin Jakarta lewat tol dalam kota :D. Dulu tuh tol dalam kota Jakarta belum seribet sekarang..Masuk cuma dengan Rp. 3000,- dan loe bisa keliling2 Jakarta gak keluar2 sampe puas..He he he..

Pernah suatu kali gue bener-bener lagi down abis karena masalah besar keluarga...Sambil keliling kota (duh kenapa jd inget lagu anak2 ye?), gue pasang albumnya Ron Kenoly yg berjudul Jubilee...Gue memuji n nyembah Tuhan dari lagu pertama sampe akhir..Gue ingeeeet banget, ketika gue keluar dari tol, gue penuh dengan sukacita dan iman...Tuhan jamah gue dan beri rhema seperti ini:

"Everything that was stolen shall be return unto me..Mother Father Sisters and Brothers, they will all go free..This is the season of Jubilee!"

And He did exactly what He's promised me that night..Hallelujah

Akhir-akhir ini, gue punya cara lain untuk menikmati Bapa di Bandung, yaitu: Jalan kaki. (Malam lah tentunya, secara siang teh hareudang bok!). Seperti yang baru saja gue lakukan malam ini..
Sepulang acara Pekan Doa di gereja, gue jalan dr Psr. Koja 39 sampe RS. Imanuel. Again, I put my earphone and listen to the music. I sing and I also pray. Gue sangat menikmatinya sampai-sampai kaki lecet pun gak berasa..:) Rasanya kaya lagi berkencan dengan pacar..Walking side by side while holding hands, isn't it romantic? 

And as usual, He calms me, though the storm is still raging..Spending time alone with Jesus is my pleasure, for always...

Enak banget kan jadi anak Tuhan? Kita tidak terikat oleh tempat dan waktu untuk bersekutu dengan Bapa. 

So, if you feel your world is trembling down, just loose the crowd and spend time alone with Your Father in Heaven..He will always there and tell you, that you are not alone..Amen!

Bandung, 18 Mei 2013



Selasa, 16 April 2013

"Pilih Gue Atau Mereka?"



Gue pernah menulis, bahwa bahasa sayang itu antara lain dengan memaafkan..Tetapi hari ini gue mau menambahkan sebuah bentuk lain dari sayang..

Dalam satu kesempatan, gue and Jamie nonton tayangan infotainment yang membahas tentang perceraian sepasang artis yang ribut tentang hak asuh anak. Jamie dengan polos bertanya, "Mi, cerai itu apa sih?" Gue mencoba menjelaskan dgn sederhana, bahwa karena suatu hal pasangan suami istri gak bisa lagi tinggal sama-sama. Lalu Jamie menanggapi dengan pernyataan yang sangat menarik, "Mi, kalau Mami Papi cerai, aku mau tinggalnya sama Papi ya. Jangan paksa-paksa aku." ;)

Waktu gue cerita statement Jamie di atas ke beberapa teman (gank demiters tepatnya), mereka nanya apa tanggapan gue soal itu. Gue jawab, klo gue gak masalah. Di mana Jamie nyaman dan asal dia bahagia, buat gue itu yang paling penting. Seorang temen protes, "Kok bisa-bisanya loe rela gitu?"

Why? Because I love him so much. For me his happiness is above mine. Gue gak suka liat orang tua yang mengatasnamakan kebahagiaan anak2 untuk ego pribadi mereka sendiri. Btw, ini gak berarti gue sama suami mau cerai yaaaa, he he he…

Sayang juga berarti tahu, bahwa kita mesti mundur demi kebahagiaan orang yang kita sayang, kalau memang kita bukan bagian dari kebahagiaan mereka. I've once let go a grant love of mine, because I wasn't his happiness..Though I was very sad, but it wasn't hard either. The encouragement you get from pure love is awesome ;)

Bahasa sayang juga berarti memutuskan untuk tidak pernah membiarkan orang yang kita pilih berada dalam posisi sulit, karena kita. Banyak orang yang senang menempatkan pasangannya dalam situasi harus memilih antara dirinya atau pekerjaan/keluarganya. Contoh: Seorang istri yang bertengkar dengan mertuanya, memaksa suami untuk memilih keberpihakkannya. "Loe pilih gue atau ortu loe?" Well, klo gue di posisi itu, gue pasti menderita berat. Our parents/family are not the people who mean nothing to us, right? How can I choose between them? If I have to choose and then lose one of them, I will definitely break down in tears.

Now, I love my husband so much. And I know he loves me too. Karena gue tahu dia sangat sayang sama gue, maka pasti sulit buatnya untuk memilih antara gue dan keluarganya or antara gue dengan pelayanannya. In every confrontation about them, I choose to back off. Bukan karena gue gak PeDe, bahwa gue gak akan jadi pilihannya. Tapi karena gue tahu, dia pasti memilih gue, namun dengan hati yang sakit. Seeing him getting hurt is one thing I hate the most.

Do I a noble woman? Nop! He he he..But, the fact that now I am turning into this point, I admit that I am proud of myself. I used to be a very posesive woman. I didn’t even share my friends to others..Ngeri kan ya??? Itu juga mungkin yang menyebabkan, para mantan gue gak tahan lama-lama berhubungan ama gue...Siapa juga yang betah punya cewek yang posesif kan? :D I thank God for removing the old me..

Gue juga berterimakasih sama Nyokap yang sudah ngasih teladan, bagaimana mengasihi tidak sekedar dengan kata-kata tetapi juga dengan tindakan dan hati yang legowo…Dia hampir tidak pernah berkonflik dengan menantunya. Ngalah sama menantu, bukan karena dia takut, tapi karena Nyokap sayaaaaaaang banget sama anak-anaknya. **Suatu hari Dia bilang gini ke gue, "Masa sih gue seneng ngeliat anak gue berantem, apalagi cerai, gara-gara gue? Kalo elo? Memangnya loe seneng liat sodara loe berantem sama pasangannya gara-gara elo, Li?" I answered her, "No I won't like it either."

Gue banyak melihat konflik antara pasangan suami istri yang bukan disebabkan oleh faktor keduanya atau perselingkuhan salah satu pihak, tetapi justru karena orang-orang di dekat mereka yang terlalu ikut campur dan mengganggu..

Seorang sahabat pernah curhat, bahwa ia sangat membenci abang yang sebelumnya ia sangat sayang, karena istri sang abang memperlakukan ibu mereka dengan tidak baik.

Ada juga seorang rekan yang sangat kecewa dan pahit hati, karena merasa sang suami lebih banyak memberi uang ke ibunya dari pada ke sang istri. Seorang suami yang disetir oleh ibunya adalah mimpi buruk yang panjang untuk seorang istri. Jika sang suami atau sang ibu tidak mau berubah, gue gak akan kaget kalau beberapa waktu ke depan, perceraian akan menimpa pasangan tersebut. Puas..? Puas.. Puas????

Banyak kasus lain di mana gue juga melihat cinta berubah menjadi benci, karena tidak mengerti apa arti cinta sejati. Banyak orang mengindahkan batasan-batasan yang seharusnya mereka jaga dan jangan pernah mereka langgar, sedekat apa pun hubungan mereka. Persahabatan yang terjalin antara gue dan sahabat-sahabat gue, hingga bisa sampai berumur puluhan tahun itu juga semata karena kami tidak pernah melanggar batasan itu. Ada privacy yang gak boleh kita utak atik, walau ia orang terdekat kita.

Sayangnya dalam budaya Indonesia, privacy menjadi batasan yang kerap tidak dianggap penting untuk dijaga. Usil sudah jadi penyakit yang dianggap wajar dan tidak perlu diobati, padahal dalam jangka panjang sangat mematikan. Ini yang menyebabkan “Love rotten and then turns into hate.” I really dislike it!

So, bentuk lain dari sayang versi gue selain memaafkan adalah: When he/she/they are more precious than my own pride or ego, that what love is. Never let your beloved spouse/family/friends getting hurt because of you. Their happiness and peace have to be your priority. And even when their ego hurts your own pride, endure it!

And last but not least, we have to let the people we love find their own happiness, whether it includes you or not.
Shalom! :D

**Jangan kaget yaaa Nyokap gue memang agak preman. Kadang, dia berbahasa gue elo ke kita anak-anaknya*

Rabu, 13 Februari 2013

LOVE, ain't enough sometime...


There are two past lovers who met accidentally on the street, then they went to a coffee shop to chat. Neither of them knew and remembered why they had broken up. While they were talking, suddenly they came up with the reason why.

Their habits, their personalities, characters and interests were totally different. Those things were the things that attracted them to each other at first, but while the relation grew, those things are also the caused why they couldn't stand to each other. Up until now, they are still the same and not change a little bit.  

After a while, they finally finished their reunion, said goodbye, wished each other good luck, then left the coffee shop.  

Although, they still havea lingering feeling towards each other, but they know they can't go on any further. They are happy and satisfy with just looking at each other from a far.


The point of this story is, whatever the reasons for you to broke up with your pass lover, those reasons haven't disappeared yet. Even if you start all over again, it would still be the same at the end, unless you two have became a totally different person.

Some loves, no matter how grant they are, won't last for good. Many things are needed to be happy in a good relationship. No matter how passionate the kiss you saw at the end of a drama, there is still a real life after that, right?

Love is a total concept..That person's exterior, knowledge, heart, personality, and even income, can we like and accept just one of those? I don't think so..:) To make your self keep being in love, it's all inclusive.

Let us be realistic and open our eyes widely..Even if you say you can't live without that person, in reality no one has ever died because they fall out of love.

Make sure to find someone "who you can live with" for the rest of your life, because sometime, "LOVE JUST AIN'T ENOUGH."




Jumat, 08 Februari 2013

Best Friends


Spending time with old friends is always brings me nice feeling...There isn’t much excitement in the unknown, but there is plenty of enjoyment in the communication...We’ve known each other so well..We have passed the adjustment phase of our bad behavior; yet we’re laughing and make fun of it now.

I know we've became more than just friends, when we no longer feel the need to cover up our weakness, dirty thoughts, empty pocket nor shameful experiences. We are not family by birth, but we are family by heart. That’s why their bad attitude, shameful sin and empty pocket wont change the way I feel about them. They’ve became my family. I may not always love what they do, nor agree with them all the time, but I can’t change my feeling about them. I love them a lot like I love my own brother and sisters.
We became best friends not in a sudden. There is a time and a process that we have gone through together to be at this rate.
 
Once, when I and a friend of mine were sitting on a park bench, I told him that one of our friends didn’t allow me to go with them. I felt so sad and rejected. Then, he grabbed my hand and said, “Who the hell he think he is. You are my best friend and off course you have to go with me. If he against you, then he has to deal with me.”  Since that day, he grew to be very close to me. I always mark him as my biggest sparring partner because every time we argue and fight, it got very awful but only for a short period he he But he is to me also like an older brother who spoiled me so much. Though he had many bad habits, I still love him. He means a lot to me.

In other story, me and demiters have different history. I used to have a very close girlfriend. I loved her so much but then I found out that she was very jealous with me and bad mouthing me behind my back. Well I wonder, “Was She Really a Friend, Anyway?” He he he… Before I cut ties with her, I didn’t have other friends at school, so it was hard from me in the beginning, until few girls in my class offered me their companion. Since then, my relationship with them grew closer and closer until now. We call our group DEMITERS. We have different personality, came from different background and religion, but we just ‘click’ to each other. The comfort they bring is like an old “daster” to me. In fact, no matter how serious life gets, they are always the people who I can be completely stupid with..

Among many old best friends I have, I think Soraya/Aya is the closest one.. Why? Because, now we even related by blood. Her son is my nephew…Well, we have no choice, but stuck to each other for the rest of our life..:))) We’ve been friends since we were very young, for almost 20 years. Back then, we even got rumor that we were lesbian. No wonder, because we were almost 24 hours together. She was very tomboy while I was very “Tante-tante”..LOL.. We comfort each other through pains and heartbroken..We share laughter and made a lot of good memories. She’s the kind of best friend who will always ride in my car, no matter how many times I nearly kill her, for driving while I was drunk or sleeping…. Rare and sweet, right? Ha ha ha..

 



The best friend I love the most, off course it will always be my husband..I totally agree with Michael Bolton that said that we can’t be lovers if we can’t be friends..:D He’s the guy who won’t make me feel insecure. He’s my best friend, my partner in crime, my biggest supporter and also he’s like a loving father I have never had. He is my everything.



I still have many best friends with each unique histories, but to write them all, it will take many many pages…I think i should stop here for today. I am very grateful for having them in my life. They are my family whom I picked up myself. Friends come and go in my life, but for the precious few, I persist no to let them go.


Bandung, 23 Januari 2013

Kamis, 10 Januari 2013

Dear Mother...


Dear Mom..
I am happy now..
Because I believe you should feel happy now..

No more tears..
No more pains..
No more troubles..
To me, if you are happy then I am happy..

Dear Mom..
You are smiling there, right?
Imagining you smile, makes me smile too..
See? Your happiness is mine too..

Dear Mother
I know you belong to heaven..
That's why I am letting you go now..
You..
The one who loved me the most..