Count Our Blessings

Not a book per se. This is a collection of artworks done by Issac Lim, put together in 'Not a Wasteland', and captions written by Grace Lim. Issac has a brother Shalom, and you'd have heard of how talented they are in painting.

In the foreword, distinguished poet Lee Tzu Pheng wrote,

Isaac's gift to us is his appreciation of life, though he lives with what literally impairs life and limb. With the artist's unerring feel for colors and their combinations, his paintings take us through a vibrant affirmation of faith in his Creator, in himself, and in us.

The pages are meant to be flipped slowly, to pause, think and reflect upon the themes the artist is trying to portray, and more importantly, what we, as viewers see in the images. One of my favorite paintings in the book is titled "My Guardian Angel". The caption mentions Psalm 91:11-12,

For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

I guess I still believe in angels, especially a guardian angel. I've never seen mine. But I've certainly felt...her...him...it. Faith has certainly guided my path since...forever. A gentle hand has always prodded me to halt and think before making stupid decisions that I've obstinately stuck to, and well...refused to regret even. On many occasions, the light shone brighter for me as new directions are gingerly treaded. Can't say that I've gotten lost. Was out of town over Passover with the family, but got in for the man's birthday (late) and Easter. And this Easter past, again, I must try harder to make some sense of the faith I've chosen in spite of certain doctrines I disagree with, blessings notwithstanding.

My Guardian Angel, 2005. Mixed Medium, 27.5 x 37.4 cm.