Prior to the circuit breaker measures being implemented in Singapore in early April, people flocked to supermarkets to stockpile on goods and essentials. It has instilled a culture of fear not by scarcity alone, but also because of the passing on of fear to others.
Being thrown into the COVID-19 pandemic is scary, but more so for the vulnerable who are just trying to get by. But amid the situation that might seem dire, we have also been inspired by the actions of many kind-hearted samaritans who have gone the mile to contribute in their own ways, from making face masks from scratch to donating their government payout to those in need.
Today, we hear another of such a story.
Delivers Groceries to “Mcdonald’s Auntie”
Sheena Ling had been buying and delivering groceries to a “McDonald’s auntie” whom she had gotten to know over the past few months through her work.
This is all because “the place where [auntie] gets her free weekday meals have stopped giving out due to Circuit Breaker,” wrote Ling in her Facebook post on 29 April. The senior was also “told to stop work”.
In an older post, Ling described the auntie as “really old and frail” and has an “aged sister who is deaf, mute, and unemployed”.
To help the sisters out, Ling gets groceries for them once a week while practising safe distancing measures and sanitising.
Prior to the circuit breaker, Ling said that the senior would always insist on returning her favour every time she sent her home after a late shift.
“She works at Mcdonalds so she gets a free packet of Ribena ever so often. So in return for the groceries, I would always leave with MANY PACKETS of Ribena after so much insistence from her,” wrote Ling.
Ling said that the Mcdonald’s auntie also told her not to buy too many things as they are “expensive” and that “[her] money is very hard-earned”.
To that, she replied: “Auntie, you just take. You take happily, you make me happy too. I have enough, I promise. Don’t have enough, I will buy lesser. You take happily, you make me very happy.”
“Because Love always wins,” said Ling. | Photo: Sheena Ling / Facebook
Mcdonald’s Auntie’s Kindness Overwhelms
But now that the senior has stopped work and “ran out of Ribena”, she passed Ling a brand new watch to thank Ling this time round when she visited.
It was Mcdonald’s gift to the senior to mark her 5th year of working with them—a $20 Casio watch according to Ling.
Despite being caught in a situation herself, the senior’s heart remains big. She gives more than she can, even though she has little.
“I just, couldn’t. Auntie doesn’t earn enough to get by. She could have, I don’t know, sold the watch. But she gave it to me. I couldn’t take it. Then I saw her face beaming away, and I knew I had to take it. I told myself to get a grip, let this be about her giving, and not about me deserving it or not,” wrote Ling.
The senior’s kindness has left her feeling “overwhelmed” and Ling said that there are many lessons to be derived from her kind act. She also urged everyone to pay attention to the people around them.
“These people, could very well be in the same house as you right now. So open your eyes,” Ling wrote.
She ends off her post by comparing the $20 Casio watch she received to her own $200 Swatch watch with a heartfelt sentiment.
Photo: Sheena Ling / Facebook
“Between this $20 Casio and my $200 Swatch, we all know, that Casio has just won hands down in importance and value.”
And her reason? “Because Love always wins.”
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You can view Ling’s full post here:
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