Grateful 11 & 12 Jun: Nonya Chang

Over the last 3 days, I devoted much of my time to making the nonya chang. After 2 days of cooking and tying them, I began distributing them last evening. This is the first time I have made nonya chang since my break-up in 2024. There are people in my life, especially in recent times, whom I wish to thank, and few things feel more meaningful than preparing nonya chang for them. So today, let me give thanks to: 

• My Sisters.  As I prepared a list of people to whom I wanted to give the chang, my two sisters were right at the top. Nothing surpasses family when it comes to gratitude. I am thankful for their unwavering support, their presence in my life, and the bond we share as a family. 

• C & K. I am deeply grateful to C and K for their support over the past year, especially C. I shall not go into the details of what happened last year, but without her help, my life today would likely have been very different. As C is currently working overseas, I was only able to pass the chang to K, her partner. K was one of the first people to visit me last year, and I appreciated her kindness and companionship during that period. I made a trip to her home yesterday evening and was delighted that she enjoyed the chang. 

• D, S & V. This year, I made a special effort to thank D, S and V. I have written much about them recently, particularly D. Although I had known of D since the mid-1990s, I did not know him personally then. We moved in different circles, and our paths only properly crossed last year. Through a series of unexpected circumstances, we ended up spending a great deal of time together, sometimes meeting almost daily. I am profoundly grateful for his friendship and support during this period of my life. It was through D that I came to know S and V, one of his closest friend and her husband. They have been equally generous with their friendship and encouragement, and I wanted them to know how much I appreciate them. As it turned out, all 3 of them are fans of nonya chang. 

Besides the people mentioned above, I also gave the chang to M, PY and S. Preparing and sharing them was my way of expressing gratitude to the people who matter to me. In return, the joy of knowing they enjoyed them became a gift to me as well. Most importantly, sharing the chang was my way of nurturing the relationships that matter to me.