Death is nothing else but going home to God,
the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity . – Mother Teresa
I lost a friend today. Actually, she is the sister of one of my best friends. She passed on this morning due to cancer. I can’t remember the exact year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, I think it was around five or six years ago then lately the malignancy metastasized to her bones and she again underwent another cycle of chemotherapy. They say that bone cancer is the most painful type, but I tell you no matter what type it is, it is not just painful physically but emotionally and financially as well.
I have four best friends since my college days, one is a nun, another one is staying in Canada and the third is a successful business woman. Perhaps you won’t believe if I tell you that among us four, three of us are cancer survivors. Yes, two of them are breast cancer survivors and I had colon cancer. We see each other almost every year and between those days, we get along via texts and occasional e-mails. My nun friend said that even in friendship, we have the same illness.
Death reminds us of the things we were supposed to do but didn’t. Death reminds us of the words we should have uttered but didn’t. And always, death reminds us of regrets that we were not able to say goodbye. Harriet Beecher Stowe has this to say about death and dying; “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” It’s so true, it’s only through death that we vividly remember the good deeds done by a relative, a friend or a family member who left us. We reminisce the good old days spent with them, we recall the times we were so happy when they were alive. Only God knows when our time will come. Most of us are so afraid of dying so we try to prevent it and prolong our lives as much as we can. We are frantic when we are ill. We worry a lot when someone in the family is dying. It’s human nature to be threatened and to be afraid of something we don’t really know. Death is real, that’s what we learned early in life.
What do we know of Beyond? We can never guess the time we will be leaving this world. And before it’s too late, let us show our love for everyone precious in our lives. Don’t wait for the last-minute to say, “I love you” when you can say it loud and clear to them now. When was the last time you called a friend just to say hello? When was the last time you hugged your kids? When was the last time you said to your parents that you are grateful for everything they did for you? When?
And let me end this blog with a quote from Stephen Grellet:
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Dreams And Escapes 