Written by: Jing-In Tsai
Translated by: Charlotte Lin and Lucy Lee
It’s September 15th, the annual Mid-Autumn Festival and the second day of TIMA began with wind and rain. The afternoon lecture starts in an easy-going atmosphere, a special program “Mid-Autumn Festival’s Trip Down The Memory Lane” was arranged. Brother Joe and Sister Brenda, the masters of ceremony jumped out to the stage and wished everyone a “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival”.
TIMA from each country performed superbly, and TIMA members from Nepal, Singapore, Thailand and so on had put on their traditional clothes and beautifully stepped on the stage, which was refreshing. Lastly, the Malaysian TIMA members stepped on the stage with singing and dancing that brought the highlight of the ceremony.
Looking back at the time was the first program, Teacher Hsu from Tzu Chi Junior High School lead the students on stage to perform martial arts. Among the performers, five years old Hong-Li Hsu from the kindergarten was an eye catcher in the center stage and he had performed gracefully. Practicing martial arts gave each child a healthy hobby. No matter what kind of weapon the children have, they have practiced a great deal of time, and their characters have also been enhanced through practices.
Following closely was a short story performed by the Philippines TIMA members. The story talked about the establishment of the Philippines’ Tzu Chi Branch in 1994, how volunteers saw the need of medical attention in the rural and poverty stricken areas, and how Philippines started from no volunteers all the way to the establishment of TIMA. In 1995, the first free clinic in the remote area started in a crude environment where doctors treated the patients with care and compassion that eased their pain. The story may sound light but it is really heartwarming.
Beside the martial art and stage performance, the USA TIMA members sang and dance to the song of “So Good to Know You”, delivering the message of we all accompanying each other in the path of Tzu Chi. TIMA members from the Philippines, USA and Indonesia gave wonderful performances, and the tradition outfits also symbolized for the joy of good harvest.
Countless touching stories happen continuously. Sister Yang, a senior volunteer at the Tzu Chi General Hospital shared a heartwarming story, about a terminally ill patient whom had not family member to care for him. After knowing his story and through some up and down, the patient finally got to meet his son, and brought a turning point to his son’s life. The patient also fulfilled his wish to become a silent mentor (donate his body to the medical department), the story ended well.
Singapore TIMA members performed “You Are All That Matters” sign language song, rewritten words for the song brought out everyone’s thought. “Now that I have met you, our dearest Master, we must cherish it. As time goes rushing by, vowing to follow the Master, cherish your teachings. Let’s make good use of our lives, be not in vain. TIMA – do strive hard, cure ills, heal hearts, heal all, competent physicians, treat all as family.”
TIMA doctors transformed into walkway models, modeling off clothing designed by DaAi Technology for the use of disaster relief, including jacket, uniforms, casual clothing, quick-dry shirt and dirt-proof white pants. Each piece of clothing is produced through recycled items collected by the recycling volunteers.
The Malaysian TIMA members took the finale on stage, bring out the story on how difficult it was back in time to find medical personnel. Through the continuous search, various experts start to join in and allow TIMA member to exert their intuitive abilities. TIMA had grown from free clinic, to the addition of house care, dialysis center, cancer general supportive group, palliative home care, and stroke supportive group. This year, over 150 TIMA members from all over Malaysia had joined the annual TIMA Convention this year. The Malaysian team used a folk song “Rasa Saya” to express their true nature.
