Late last night, an old and dear friend from Malaysia called us at home on the telephone. He told us, amongst other things, that Dr Lian, an uncle of mine, had passed away earlier that day. He had been ill for a long time now. This morning I thought about my Auntie, Swee Lian (my father’s eldest sister) and wondered, in vain, how she feels. Tua Kor has always been the Auntie who was the strongest, most stern, of all my aunties. As children, we were always afraid of her. She was stern and strong willed. Yet even as I thought of her this morning, I felt only the pain she must feel, notwithstanding the peace we all have, knowing we would all, one day, reunite with those we love, on celestial’s shores. The struggle to strike that balance between living a full life here on earth and focusing on eternity has always been what drives many to push on. I recently heard again, of what I read some years ago. Rick Warren is a well known Christian writer and he said, accurately I thought, that life on earth is a preparation for eternity. So everything we do on earth has to be based on, and driven by, that purpose. How then do we handle the passing of a loved one? A relationship which has taken 30, 40 or even 50 years to build is naturally a very strong one. When it is ended by death, how does the surviving party handle it? How is such a relationship to be managed in light of what Rick Warren has reminded us?