"I'm glad you're here with me today"

When I look around me, it seems like everyone is getting married. Let's admit it, when we think about marriage, all we think about are:

1. The wedding: Especially girls. Dah fikir theme colour la, nak pakai baju macam mana, traditional ke modern, dewan ke rumah, nak hantaran apa etc. I can't say I have not thought of those. I have. 

2. The joy of having a companion: Having a husband or a wife, you know someone will always be by your side. Someone who would cook for you when you're sick, someone who would watch tv/movie with you and travel together. Those sorts of stuff.

3. Having children: Some people have already set how many children they want to have. Some would say "I want 10 children" while some would prefer "One boy and one girl, and that's it for me"

Those are the three main things young people like me would think about. Today I sat for my oncology clinic; Palliative Care. I couldn't reveal much due to patient's confidentiality, but it struck me today that life will not always be like what we always thought it would be. There's a thing called RESPONSIBILITY. People die, people get sick. 

My point here is, when you're married, you're not only married to your husband, you are also married to his family. When someone in the family is sick, you have a responsibility to make sure that they're doing okay, and help as much as you could. 

I saw a good example today, a daughter-in-law taking care of her mother-in-law like she is taking care of her own mum. When they were waiting outside of the consultation room I heard the mother-in-law said to her daughter-in-law; "I'm glad you're here with me today" and the patient also told the doctor "She's my guardian angel".

It changed my whole view of marriage. It's not just about the wedding, the joy of having a companion or the dreams;

I believe it is so much more than that.