Oh, to be so loved…

… right to the end…

That was what I thought when I watched Mrs Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral service shown on TV news last night.

He husband of 63 years not only placed a full bloom single rose into her casket; he also very deliberately and determinedly placed two kisses on his fingers and transferred them to her forehead.

For someone who is so careful about hygiene — as he disclosed here — to be doing that underlines clearly how much she meant to him: more than his own health; more than his own life most likely!

Theirs isn’t a Romeo and Juliet story. Theirs is no shooting star. Theirs is a deep love that’s sustained and true over more than half a century. Theirs is more quiet hence more powerful and inspiring, especially today, when many things, including marriage and relationships, are disposable.

The Kuan Yew and Geok Choo love story touches my heart and reminds me of a song that comes to mind from my deepest memory:

Wonderful, Wonderful
——Johnny Mathis

Sometimes we walk hand in hand by the sea
And we breathe in the cool salty air,
You turn to me with a kiss in your eyes
And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare
Then your lips cling to mine, it’s wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful my love.

Sometimes we stand on the top of a hill
And we gaze at the earth and the sky
I turn to you and you melt in my arms
There we are, darling, only you and I
What a moment to share, it’s wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful my love

This world is full of wondrous things it’s true
But they wouldn’t have much meaning without you

Some quiet evenings I sit by your side
And we’re lost in a world of our own
I feel the glow of your unspoken love
I’m aware of the treasure that I own
And I say to myself, it’s wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful my love!