Graham Lawrence

Writer, Publisher, Retired

Tag: Family

Holding Rice

The sky was darkening by the minute as the clouds turned from white to light grey to a darker shade, to charcoal and now indeed black with a rapidity rarely seen. A wind had suddenly sprung up. Starting as a light breeze with a vague hint of coolness. Then gradually becoming a more noticeable breath of cool on face and exposed skin. A stronger blast. And now strengthening as its power is rediscovered, moving the branches on the trees surrounding the village and sending out a siren of rustles and creaking wood as it further strengthens and trees start to sway and bend. The sound of a branch falling through the foliage to the fine red dry dirt on the ground breaks the whistles of wind now flowing through not only every open space but finding every gap between massed trees, the smattering of houses on the dirt red packed mud road, that they were built along. The red dirt from under the trees, the road and even the rice farmland down the end of the pike now becoming airborne and coating the floors of the rude wooden houses on stilts, passing into the communal areas and under the houses where the farm tools were now coated in red. Visibility falling as the black darkness seemed to descend around all. With the rise of the wind, now a crescendo of whistles, crashing boughs, falling tools and pieces of slamming houses. The air now filled not only with dust in the air but pieces of tree, house, tile and detritus. Doors not fastened blown closed and open, crashing in rhyme to the beat of the wind.

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Family

Nim was a family man. Like many poor farmers in the villages of rural Thailand he held strong beliefs. All he lived for were his wife, daughters, nephews and any other member of the extended family. Not a wealthy man and one who was blighted by every farming venture he tried turning to dust in his hands, but one who surrounded by family remained happy and upbeat.

Now a few years ago it just so happened that Nim’s latest venture into a new piece of farming machinery, or was it a new crop had gone disastrously and predictably wrong resulting in another pressing debt that needed to be paid off. It wasn’t a time of year when work was plentiful in Uttaradit, so being illiterate the only option was a trip to one of the building sites of central Thailand for months of daily toil until enough was saved to cover the lost farm investment. Leaving the family would be hard but having the family land repossessed would only leave them landless and forced to leave the village, so there was no option. Tum, Nim’s friend, recommended a site in Rayong in the industrial east of the country where they could both go.

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Moving Again

Yes its that time for moving again. I have to move branches for work. From Korat to Bang Saen is not too far and Bang Saen is a town well known to me and my family as are the staff at work. So this time it should be a relatively easy move. However, working abroad always comes with its little hoops to jump through.

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Balance

Graham Lawrence Musings: BalanceThis short post on balance in life, really started as a seed in my mind a few years back after reading the palliative nurse’s article on regrets people have when dying.  Every man the palliative nurse worked with regretted working too hard. That is stunning and it gets you thinking. What are the most important things in life? When you lie there dying, what do you regret if anything? And what kind of life or personality leads to a life where you have no regrets?

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Christmas Thoughts 2015

Graham Lawrence: Christmas Thoughts 2015. Merry Christmas 2015Well it is now Boxing Day, so the family festivities and overindulgence is over. That just leaves the traditional lazy day. And the wait for the Premier League football. That comes at evening time here in Thailand. That first means spending a few minutes on fine-tuning the fantasy football team. With breakfast out of the way, it is a few hours before the next round of overindulgence starts.

So that just leaves time for Christmas thoughts 2015. Time to think about a few other more important topics. Continue reading

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