Losing a Dearly Beloved Uncle in November
November is the month in which we remember our dead. For Catholics it is not mere remembrance. As the Bible puts it “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead they may be loosened from the sins (Maccabees 12:45).
My family recently lost our Uncle Tony to a rare cancer of the lymph nodes called lymphoma. As the internet said this is another type of cancer of the blood. He was diagnosed with cancer barely a month ago and he was subjected to a series of test @ the UST hospital. He underwent first chemotherapy treatment two weeks ago. The cancer causing cells quickly grew and we lost him on November 11, 2006. He was diagnosed to have a stage III lymphoma and his doctor said that there is no way to prevent this disease from developing yet, he continue to strive to find for a solution. He was only 69. He had planned of having a grand celebration next year when he turns 70 on February 14. He was like a father to us. Secrets I can’t reveal to my parents I can confide it to him. There was a time that I confided to him my displeasure to my strict Auntie. He was instrumental in lifting my curfew hours when I was still living with my Auntie during my college days.
He was loved not only by his families but also his friends and officemates. What endeared him most to them are his genuine heart, professionalism and integrity. He spent his entire life working as a civil servant @ Albay Capitol nearly 4 decades service. He was the Asst. Treasurer of the Capitol when he retires two years ago. I can say that I am proud of him, for he never enrich himself given the opportunities brought on by the position he was holding @ the time. He never acquires any wealth during his lifetime. He was a principled man, who is not afraid to stand up to his ideals.
I have had a share of happy Christmas memories with him. I remember a time when he will spend Christmas here in Manila. He would tag along our other cousin to spend Christmas here. He would bring us basketful of big crabs, shrimp, lobster and milkfish as his baon for a week stay. We would scourge Divisoria and Baclaran almost everyday on a lookout for discounted bargains for his countless gift list. There’s never a time I heard him complaint, he will visit all our other relatives and even his friends from as far as Laguna, to bring raw pilinut, pilinut candy, pinangat, Bicol native delicacies and even malunggay for he was aware we rarely cook ginataang malunggay due to rarity.
We feel lost and we don’t know how to cope. For those who have lost love ones, holidays can be particularly difficult. He may not be around anymore but I am sure he’s now in God’s grace waiting to be admitted to beatific vision when he will see God face to face.
The first tow days of November are a somber start for what I always hope will not last the whole month through ---- two days of painful thoughts and remembrance of our dearly departed ones. We all wear pain somehow, and this pain sit in all of us, still and steady. I know it’s easier said than done but I only hope and wish that we would be able to recover the lingering pain of losing him.
My family recently lost our Uncle Tony to a rare cancer of the lymph nodes called lymphoma. As the internet said this is another type of cancer of the blood. He was diagnosed with cancer barely a month ago and he was subjected to a series of test @ the UST hospital. He underwent first chemotherapy treatment two weeks ago. The cancer causing cells quickly grew and we lost him on November 11, 2006. He was diagnosed to have a stage III lymphoma and his doctor said that there is no way to prevent this disease from developing yet, he continue to strive to find for a solution. He was only 69. He had planned of having a grand celebration next year when he turns 70 on February 14. He was like a father to us. Secrets I can’t reveal to my parents I can confide it to him. There was a time that I confided to him my displeasure to my strict Auntie. He was instrumental in lifting my curfew hours when I was still living with my Auntie during my college days.
He was loved not only by his families but also his friends and officemates. What endeared him most to them are his genuine heart, professionalism and integrity. He spent his entire life working as a civil servant @ Albay Capitol nearly 4 decades service. He was the Asst. Treasurer of the Capitol when he retires two years ago. I can say that I am proud of him, for he never enrich himself given the opportunities brought on by the position he was holding @ the time. He never acquires any wealth during his lifetime. He was a principled man, who is not afraid to stand up to his ideals.
I have had a share of happy Christmas memories with him. I remember a time when he will spend Christmas here in Manila. He would tag along our other cousin to spend Christmas here. He would bring us basketful of big crabs, shrimp, lobster and milkfish as his baon for a week stay. We would scourge Divisoria and Baclaran almost everyday on a lookout for discounted bargains for his countless gift list. There’s never a time I heard him complaint, he will visit all our other relatives and even his friends from as far as Laguna, to bring raw pilinut, pilinut candy, pinangat, Bicol native delicacies and even malunggay for he was aware we rarely cook ginataang malunggay due to rarity.
We feel lost and we don’t know how to cope. For those who have lost love ones, holidays can be particularly difficult. He may not be around anymore but I am sure he’s now in God’s grace waiting to be admitted to beatific vision when he will see God face to face.
The first tow days of November are a somber start for what I always hope will not last the whole month through ---- two days of painful thoughts and remembrance of our dearly departed ones. We all wear pain somehow, and this pain sit in all of us, still and steady. I know it’s easier said than done but I only hope and wish that we would be able to recover the lingering pain of losing him.
My condolences to the bereaved family.
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