DEATH DEVASTATES

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Matthew 5:4

The start of 2009 was quite bad for me. Friends and acquaintances seemed to "disappear" here and there. The active and efficient president of our home owners association had aneurism and died after a week of coma. The sister of our storehelper went under the knife to get the stones out of her gall bladder and hemorrhaged. The long-time househelp of an aunt was found in the bathroom face down after a fatal heart attack. Even my very loyal pet dog, Night, was found cold in the garden.

But what hit me most was the sudden demise of a beloved boss. Everybody loves him. He was so down-to-earth, always ready to help, had a warm toothless smile for everyone he met. He was more of a big daddy than a boss, never pulling his weight around nor bullying anyone just to make people feel his “powerful presence”.

I had the chance to work closely with him in his last out-of-town television coverages. He was the trouble-shooter when the technical dry-run messed up. Ever so attentive, he made sure the engineering crew were billeted comfortably in a decent hotel. He drove for us during the 8-hour road trip to and from the place. He forgot to assign a driver for that particular assignment and he gamely took over the wheel. We were like one big happy family on a grand vacation sharing jokes and laughter. During meal times, we kidded him as he had a hard time chewing his food without his dentures. A few days after, the news of his stroke and eventual death shook me to the very core.

With all these deaths happening in the span of less than a month, I suddenly found myself quite panicky deep inside. I called up my parents and checked on them every now and then, I bugged my husband to take care of his health and exercise more. I even started kissing and hugging my mom-in-law. I was scared that I could lose them any moment and I won’t know how to handle it.

Thanks to our Heavenly Father’s comforting words and presence, I finally got hold of myself and realized the one important truth that we keep forgetting in the midst of the world’s distractions and busy-ness. LOVE.

Yes, the death of someone dear to us really hurts but there is always a blessing even in the midst of pain. Suffering makes you feel how it is to be human. After going through the sorrow of losing someone, we learn to love and accept people more no matter how difficult they may be at times.

The old saying holds true for me now: treat every day as if it were your last. Life is too short to focus on anger, worries and grudges. Make the best out of your waking hours. Cherish every wonderful moment. Be on the lookout for every beautiful scene and event unfolding around you- children playing, people laughing, the warm sunshine touching your skin, the cool wind brushing your face, old couples holding hands, smiles of strangers... Grab every opportunity to kiss and embrace your spouse, family and friends. Show kindness to everybody like there’s no tomorrow. You never know when their time is up here on earth. Even you may be gone tomorrow. Yes, LOVE as if it were your last.