A PRECIOUS LIFE


I can't believe he's really gone. Dad was cremated yesterday, and his ashes are now in an urn placed next to my middle brother's urn. I know that the two of them are enjoying eternity with Jesus in Heaven right now, but my heart still aches.

During the memorial services for my dad, my siblings spoke about my father's life and about the kind of person he was. As the youngest child in a family of eight, there were many things about my dad that I never knew. Dad was an astute, self-made businessman, but I never knew that he had also been artistic, with a penchant for drawing ships. My late brother inherited Dad's artistic flair, while my youngest brother was influenced by his love for the sea and so took up a career in shipping.

Dad was also musically-inclined, and loved to play a certain stringed folk instrument. That came to an end over 20 years ago, when he had a stroke. While all of my brother and sisters had music lessons, music did not sing in our souls as it did in him, as my youngest brother, David, proved during the last memorial service for my father. David's trumpet rendition of the Last Post, while poignant, reminded us all of why the family dogs always howled in protest during his practice sessions. There must have been occasions when Dad regretted giving him that trumpet. A rational father would not have placed such a lethal weapon in a young boy's hands, but Dad knew that David's heart had been set on that silver trumpet, so love won the day.

I love animals, and I probably got that from my father. Our family home had been like a mini-zoo, bustling with dogs, cats, parrots, canaries, pigeons, guinea pigs, rabbits and various kinds of fishes. Dad often brought stray dogs home for us to care for. When one of my beloved dogs died when I was very young, he promptly got a puppy to help heal my broken heart. The puppy threw up in his car on the way home, but Dad never complained. He just wanted me to be happy.

All the dogs and cats which I have acquired since my childhood have either been strays or rescued from the pound. I have never bought any fancy pets from pet shops, because my dad taught me to have compassion for unwanted animals, as he did. Dad was a shelter for many living creatures.

Dad was generous to a fault. I found out during one of the memorial services that, when my father's older brother died of a terminal illness, Dad quietly supported his children until they were old enough to look after themselves. Family was important to my father, but his heart had room for others as well. He often opened up his wallet to help those who were financially strapped, going through bad patches, or who were just starting out in business. A man of few words, his kindness touched many lives. As a testimony to this, people from all walks of life turned up for dad's viewing to wish him farewell.

I learned so much about my dad during these last few days. How I regret now that I never really got to know him when he was still alive. How I wish that I could have spent more time with him. If only I hadn't been so preoccupied with my own life. Dad had been very lonely, sad and sick for the last couple of years of his life, especially since my middle brother passed away. But he never complained, and he never asked for anything. He knew we had our own lives, and he wanted us to be happy, as always.

Dad, I didn't deserve you. I miss you. I'm glad you're safe in the arms of Jesus now.

All my love,

Carol