Death is really like a thief in the night. You never know when itās going to come and rob you of something preciousāyour life.
Just this month, one of the founders of the dance group that I belonged to passed away. Iāve known for some time that he wasnāt well but even if Iāve known that the result was inevitable, I still couldnāt believe it when I heard the news. I could still remember that day clearly. It was early in the morning and I was preparing to visit him. I was just waiting for the message that would give me the directions to the hospital and when I heard the message tone of my phone, I expected to read directions to where he was. I didnāt expect it to be, āHeās gone.”
I didnāt know such a short sentence could hurt so much.
I cried. Hard.
I couldnāt help it. I just canāt. I know that I should feel better since heās no longer in pain but there will always be that part of me thatās going to miss him, that part of me that canāt believe that everything was real, that Iāll no longer be able to see or hear from him again. I wasnāt as close to him as he was with the alumni of our group but it was already hard for me. How much more for those who were closest to him? When I was there during the wake and in the interment, I could feel it. Whenever I was able to stop crying, just seeing his family and those who were very, very close to him trying to control themselves from crying made me cry again. I can feel it. Their pain, their loss.
It showed that he was very much loved and appreciated.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā And just like what the first stanza of his favourite song says,
Every now and then
We find a special friend
Who never lets us down
Who understands it all
Reaches out each time you fall
You’re the best friend that I’ve found
I know you can’t stay
A part of you will never ever go away
Your heart will stay
Ā He might be gone, but our feelings for him will stay because, āDeath ends a life, not a relationship.ā
There were things that I wanted to say but wasnāt able to and I hope that somehow, somewhere, this reaches him…
Kuya W,
I could still remember those moments when I always badger you about money (I was Finance Head in our organization before). Ever since then, whenever we meet, youād playfully hide from me and tell me, āAyan nanaman siya, maniningil nanaman. May utang nanaman ba ako?ā (There she goes again, collecting and asking for fees. Do I still have debts?). I will miss those times. I will miss you. Even if you kept on hiding and avoiding me because you think Iām going to collect fees from you! š
You were a good mentor and a friend. My memories of you were always so… energetic and fun. When you visit us during our trainings or when you go to our competitions to support us, you lighten up the pressure and the heavy mood by your jokes. You also inspire us to give our best and not be intimidated by the other competitors through your words of wisdom and encouragement. You were always supportive and you always believed in us and in what we can do.
I could still remember the first time I was able to dance and perform with you, that first time when you taught me a dance you choreographed. I felt this urge to give my best because I wanted to be as good as you were and I felt that I could do it because you were very encouraging and patient and I can feel that you believed that I could do it. I was just a trainee then. You were also one of the persons I first performed with when I finally became a member. The performance was for an orientation of our dance group. It seemed so long ago…
I remembered a few lines Iāve read in Tuesdays with Morrie,
āHave you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine?ā
If I was asked this question, I could proudly say that you were this kind of teacher and I know that all of the people whom you had taught whether about dancing, or life in general, when asked by this question, would think so too.
You may no longer be physically present, but you will always be remembered. You might have lived a short life, but it was well-lived. Iāve always believed that a lifeās worth is not based on how long it was but on how much good has been done while living it. You will never be forgotten because somehow, youāre immortalized through the things you have done for others.
āA teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.ā āHenry Adams
I admit that I was really sad that youāre no longer here, physically. But Iām contented with the fact that now, I know youāre no longer in pain and your struggles are over. I may not have seen you in the last moments of your life, but maybe thatās for the better.
My memories of you will always be that of your energetic, fun, encouraging, and believing self.
Iāll remember you this way. š