Someone Remembered
The Hopeful Tree
16 March 2026
Sometimes hope begins with something very small —
a message that simply says: "How have you been?"
Today, something unexpected happened.
More than ten years ago, after my bankruptcy, I slowly withdrew from my support network. I deleted almost everyone from Facebook who knew me through work. I kept only a small circle of childhood friends, church friends, and a few people I met along the way.
Over time, I assumed something.
That people probably preferred to forget me.
So when I received a message from someone I had not heard from in more than ten years, my first reaction was not excitement.
My first thought was:
“Is this a scam?”
Sometimes scammers take over someone’s phone and send random messages. I thought maybe that was what was happening.
But it was really her.
Rin.
She told me she had watched a video on Channel News Asia about bankruptcy. For some reason, that made her think of me. On impulse, she decided to reach out and see how I was doing.
To her surprise, my number was still the same.
To my surprise, someone remembered.
The Unexpected Message
When I saw the message appear on my phone, I paused.
Not because the message was complicated.
But because it was unexpected.
After so many years of silence, someone reached out.
A Simple Meal That Became Four Hours
We arranged to meet.
What was supposed to be a short catch-up turned into almost four hours.
We sat in a simple coffee shop with red plastic chairs, eating laksa and drinking kopi and teh. Nothing fancy. Just a normal Singapore kopitiam.
But sometimes the simplest places hold the most meaningful conversations.
She asked about my life.
What I was doing now.
How I had been coping.
What I planned to do next.
She even offered to help introduce clients to me if I wanted to build websites again.
That meant a lot to me.
Not because I wanted the work, but because someone genuinely wanted to help.
Choosing My Own Path
I told her honestly that I didn’t really want to take on client work anymore.
In the past, dealing with clients often meant endless revisions, expectations, and compromises.
Instead, I told her what I want to focus on now.
Creating digital assets.
Things that can live on the internet and help people without me constantly managing clients.
Writing. Ideas. Tools. Projects that grow over time.
She understood.
And she encouraged me.
She also reminded me of something important.
She remembered my abilities and the person I used to be.
Sometimes when life knocks you down long enough, you forget that person yourself.
Driving and Reflecting
After we parted ways, I returned to driving.
And while driving through the city, I kept thinking about something simple.
Sometimes the encouragement we need does not come from strangers.
Sometimes it comes from someone who knew us before everything fell apart.
A Small Promise
Before we left, she made me promise something.
She said:
“You must publish your first Hopeful Tree post today.”
And if I stop posting for a few days, she might message me again and ask what happened.
So today, I’m keeping that promise.
What I Learned Today
Today reminded me of something simple.
Sometimes hope does not appear in dramatic ways.
Sometimes it appears as a message from someone who remembers you.
Someone who simply asks:
“How are you doing?”
And sometimes, that is enough.
Every journey has a beginning.
Today feels like the beginning of something.
✝️ Gospel Reflection
Today reminded me of something about how God works.
Sometimes God does not send a miracle.
Sometimes He sends a person.
A friend who suddenly remembers you.
A message you did not expect.
A conversation that reminds you that you are not forgotten.
When we feel like the world has moved on without us, God may still be quietly working behind the scenes.
Not with thunder.
But with small moments of grace.
📖 Scripture Reflection
Sometimes when we think we have been forgotten, God reminds us in small ways that we have not.
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