Reflection of my life

By Raymund Wee

As a Caregiver of Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary.

Although running the sanctuary took its toll physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially, after all these 20 years.  The Spiritual aspect is there if you look for it. With great empathy and a desire to make a difference I left my airline job of 18 years in 1988 to become a full-time advocator of Animal Welfare.

This is not just a personal issue to be dealt with only within the confines of the sanctuary, but rather a community outreach issue that must be addressed.  Today a lot of things are the same, but the rampant changes have changed through our social media, the internet, but I didn’t have a perspective as to what's important in life.

I have about the choices I've made.  I want to make sure that my priorities are the ones I'd want to have, rather than ones someone else thinks I ought to have. In daily life, we must see that it is not HAPPINESS that makes us grateful, but GRATEFULNESS that makes us happy.  It's the power of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE to widen the path and light the way.  So many powerful, positive things have come out of this experience, it's rate to think back now about how bad it was during the Noah's Ark saga in 2000 with the Exodus of animals.

Some people never understand what their gifts are and how to use them.  But everything in life happens for a reason.  I didn't believe that the move to Johor happened for nothing, but it was for me to figure it out.

I was judgemental, impatient, and held flimsy interpretation of life.  Now I listen to the problems of others, "What can I do to help the animals through humans and their caregivers."  My life has changed irrevocably and upward for joy because of what I went through not forgetting the forces of supporters after all these 20 years.

As much as we want only happiness as kids and teens, that's terrific, but unless you've suffered in your life you really don't know.

I pray for the wisdom to deal with changes and that people will RESPECT nature and all creatures great and small.