My Chinese New Year Ang Pow of Immeasurable Worth.

I've had just enough time...   to receive a special ang pow.

60 pupils lined up to show how the character "horse" is written in Mandarin

Quite a number of you like the ang pows that I showed in the last post so I shared a few more varieties with you in this post.

However, my favorite Ang Pow is one that came in rather plain wrapper. But there is something very special about it. Only one person in the world have ever given me such a unique red packet every year and I always look forward to receiving it for I will never know what is the gift I may receive with it. It always come with only RM10 while most of my ang pows are richer, I treasure it more because the riches it bestowed is not the money. 

A cute ang pow with "ears" that the young will love.

It is given by my old Auntie who is a kind hearted soul who spends her own money traveling to and from Myanmar to do charity work and to teach the unprivileged youth. She is spending all her remaining years in the service of others. The world would be a better place if there are more like her.

One of the prettiest ang pow I received that of the family having a reunion dinner.

In her ang pow, along with the $10 note is a card with a different message every time. The message is not pre-selected so we always wonder what we are fated to receive. The one I received this year is – “Let go of all worries, only then will you appreciate the happiness of a compassionate heart.”

The card with a message slipped into the ang pow from my auntie.

“How appropriate”, I thought. I had been working on “letting go” the last couple of years. Only then, I believe will I be able to accept the reality of the situation that it is beyond me to bring about the changes that I would like to see. And if I persist, I will not only make myself unhappy. So first, I have to let go. Next is to adjust my life to accommodate “letting go”. Letting go of intention, letting go of bitterness, letting go of the past life and starting in a new direction. Even letting go of compassion for you cannot force compassion on others. When your gift is not wanted, it is of no use whatever your intention. So this year’s “gift” is especially valuable to me as a reminder of the path I have to take. And it comes in a little ang pow of immeasurable worth.

A cheerful ang pow showing a lion dance.