Life is a symphony, and the music may be light, joyful, exciting, grievous or indignant. Even if the tone and rhythm are the same, the mood of the listener changes with the music. If the audience applauds, life's symphony will be different.

Affizi Doesn't Cry Any More (Penang)

He only spent 365 days in this world, but the suffering of a lifetime was compressed into his brief stay.

The first time I saw Affizi, I was shocked to see such a small body shouldering such a large head. Feeling sorry for his burden, I stroked his head carefully. Touching the head of this boy afflicted with hydrocephalus was like touching a balloon filled with water. I could see the veins beating clearly in his semi-transparent head.

In 1995, TV reports of the birth of a big-headed baby attracted the attention of the public. After learning of the poor financial condition of the baby's family, Tzu Chi members living in Penang decided to pay them a visit.

An Unusually Quiet Baby

The mother told us that when she was pregnant, she could feel the embryo was unusually quiet. She had no prenatal checkup. Because the baby in her womb was silent and still, she was very much worried. After nine months of pregnancy, she delivered by cesarean section. The circumference of Affizi's head was only 17 cm [6.8 in] at birth. Later, however, his head swelled with cerebral spinal fluid, and its circumference grew to 78 cm [31.2 in].

"We looked for doctors and shamans everywhere. We traveled thousands of miles, but none of them wanted to touch him. They all said he was hopeless. Some even said the baby had no brain. How could that be possible? His hands and feet are still moving." Saying this, the mother's voice was choked with sadness, but her anxious eyes still held a ray of hope.

Looking at Affizi lying on his bed, I couldn't tell whether he was sleeping or awake. His bright eyes, which should normally look excitedly out on the world, were squeezed into his eye sockets because of the pressure of his growing head. He couldn't even shed tears when he cried.

"Fortunately, Affizi no longer cries. Otherwise, it would break my heart." The mother's hand lightly and lovingly touched the baby's head, which seemed ready to burst at any time. Our hearts trembled with the movements of the mother's hand. Did Affizi accept his fate?

He Had Feelings

Affizi's father worked for a lawn-mowing company. His mother had to look after the three children -- Affizi and his two sisters -- and thus she was too busy to work outside the home. The family could barely make ends meet. Because of Affizi's illness, they had spent all their savings.

The family was Malaysian. They had been Moslems for generations, and they accepted calmly whatever had been arranged for them by Heaven. Although their family was not in good financial shape, and although Affizi could no longer open his eyes to see them, his parents held firm to their faith. "We believe every child has his own blessings and karma. We believe Heaven will make the proper arrangements for him. No matter how Affizi looks, he is still our dear child. We love him all the same."

Affizi had two sisters, aged six and eight. Both of them were healthy and active. Sometimes they would hide in a corner of the house, glancing at visitors. Sometimes they would come out to play with their brother. They thought Affizi merely had a larger head than ordinary babies, and still loved their only brother. The older sister, who was in first grade, asked us to give her a picture of her brother so that she could take it to school with her. She said she missed him while she was at school. "Usually people think he has no feelings. Actually, he does. Every time his father or grandfather call him, although his head is too heavy to move, he moves his body to respond to them." Talking about Affizi, the mother had a lot to say.

"Affizi, Affizi" Returning from a day at work, the baby's father called the name of his dear son. Affizi waved his hand. Our hearts twisted - it was the love of his parents, who would never forsake him, that kept Affizi alive. The more we got to know Affizi's family, the more we respected them.

Shouldering the Suffering of Life Alone

We decided to help with their living expenses first. We also decided to send Affizi to a nearby hospital to have his nasogastric tube replaced. Affizi's head was too big to suck milk. He could only be fed through a nasogastric tube. Every time the tube was put into his thin body, he would tremble. When the milk flowed into his stomach, he would cough and vomit. Green veins could clearly be seen on his forehead. Under the care of his family, Affizi continued to live. However, his small body had to shoulder all the suffering alone.

Tzu Chi members in Penang made arrangements to send Affizi to Malaysia University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. After an examination, the doctor shook his head. Later, Affizi was transferred to the Central Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The diagnosis confirmed that Affizi was afflicted with hydrocephalus and that there was no possibility of a cure.

Affizi's parents could not accept what the doctor said. Quietly, they looked up to heaven. Was it fair that fate should be so cruel to them? They found the answer in Central Hospital. There they saw babies suffering the same as their own son. Some had heads as small as a rat's head, and some had noses as big as a pig's nose. They realized that other parents in the world agonized over their children's suffering, just as they did.

On December 10, 1995, Affizi passed away peacefully.

"We may not be able to say the name of your organization correctly. But when you walk in our small village, wearing your uniforms of blue shirts with white collars, every villager knows you are nice people." Although still in deep sorrow, Affizi's parents were already eager to show their gratitude to Tzu Chi.

Affizi's parents told Tzu Chi members that, regardless of differences in race and belief, we are all one big family.

Love Between a Brother and a Sister (Malacca)

His mother has passed away, and his wife has left him. Yet Ching-ho has been looking after his mentally retarded sister, King-fung, quietly shouldering the heavy responsibility of her care.

It was cold and raining cats and dogs outside the Tzu Chi Malacca Liaison Office. Inside, however, the office was filled with love and laughter. Tzu Chi brothers and sisters brought a cake and a basket of tangerines and got into Brother Shih-fang's pickup truck. They were now ready to go to Machap Umboo, a small village about 30 km [18.6 mi] from downtown Malacca.

About 30 minutes later, they turned onto a narrow road. Lining both sides of the road were several homes, each growing a couple of pomegranate trees (the "king of fruits") in their yard. Although the rain was easing up, the road was still very bumpy and muddy.

Brother Shih-fang drove one kilometer farther and stopped at a shack along the road. "King-fung, Tzu Chi people are here," shouted Sister Chiu- li in Fukienese. A hoarse laugh was heard from the shack. Hearing that sound, the Tzu Chi brothers and sisters smiled.

The first time Tzu Chi members met King-fung was three years ago. At that time she was quiet and melancholy. When we encouraged her to talk, she only responded with a smile. Her brother Ching-ho sat beside us in silence. He felt a little uncomfortable and confused about our visit.

After a long talk, we discovered that King-fung had had meningitis in her childhood, which resulted in mental retardation and atrophy of the limbs, making it difficult for her to move. Because of her disability, her mother spoiled her. She became stubborn and lost her temper easily.

Urging Her to Talk Word by Word

Originally, King-fung lived in Singapore with her mother, brother and sister-in-law. After her mother passed away, her brother moved the family to their native town of Machap Umboo in Malaysia. He made a living by tapping rubber trees.

Ching-ho's wife could not get used to the country life, so several years ago she took the children and left. Since then, Ching-ho and his sister have depended solely on each other. Last year he was laid off by the owner of the rubber tree plantation, so Ching-ho turned his energies to planting pomegranates and rambutans in the orchard left by his parents. In this way, he could support himself financially.

When they moved back to their hometown, Ching-ho was very busy. He didn't give as much attention to his sister as his mother had. Whenever King-fung lost her temper, Ching-ho would reproach her. If she refused to obey him, he would slap her on her palms lightly as a warning. Gradually, she became obedient. However, because she didn't have anyone else to talk to, she forgot how to speak.

In order to enable her to speak again, we encouraged her and chatted with her when we visited her every Sunday. We kept up the conversation whether she understood us or not, and we would touch her hair and cheeks, showing our concern with body language. At first, she made no response, but she gradually began to smile, and sometimes she would burst out with one or two words. Once she spoke a complete sentence: "You are blessed, but you don't have money." This sudden exclamation surprised us and provoked a roar of laughter. She was making progress.

Crafty Words That Sweetened Our Hearts

Recently, one of our sisters teased her by asking, "King-fung, what color is my heart?" She responded with a smile, "Black heart." The sister shrugged her shoulders, stamped her feet, and stuck out her lips, pretending to be displeased. "You say my heart is black. I will not come again!" Then she teased King-fung, "What color is your heart?" King-fung laughed twice and replied, "Black."

This "black heart" darling had become a weekly concern of our Tzu Chi members. King-fung likes cake. Each time we visited her, we brought her one or two pieces of cake to satisfy her craving. When she was eating the cake, she would point to a chair and say, "Chair, sit down." Then, habitually, she would touch Sister Chiu-li and Sister Whyc-heng on their foreheads with her forefinger. She had the coy manner that usually belongs to little girls. When she ate the tangerine that one of our sisters put into her mouth, she said happily, "How sweet!" Seeing that King-fung had resumed her thinking and speaking ability, we brothers and sisters had feelings as sweet as the tangerines.

In order to help King-fung make new friends and experience social activities, we made arrangements to have her and her brother participate in our monthly distribution to the poor. Never before had King-fung had any contact with the outside world. The first time she saw a large group of people, she was so scared that she burst into tears. Our sisters had to comfort her and stay by her side. After a few times, she no longer needed this constant companionship. When we sang, she would dance along. Now the monthly distribution day has become King-fung's excursion day, which she looks forward to with great anticipation.

King-fung is the center of Ching-ho's life. Because he worries about her, he seldom leaves their shack unless he has to go out to buy food and daily necessities. Other than his sister, the things that keep him company are an old TV set, a radio/cassette recorder, and a house full of peace and quiet. Recently he has taken part in an environmental protection campaign held by the Tzu Chi Malacca Liaison Office. He goes out to collect used cardboard boxes, bottles and cans.

The unselfish caring has added an air of affection to the mountain village. The warmth of the love between this brother and sister will move the hearts of Tzu Chi people always.