Remembering My Departed Loved Ones

The month of October is nearing to its end. And like many others I became aware of the yearly celebration of All Saints Day , were we are commemorating our Departed loved ones or Deceased loved ones.

I thought then, it is relevant these days to write something about my departed or Deceased loved ones .

Beside this, I often dreamed of them for the last few days. I usually dreamed of my deceased loved ones . And this was always the case with me that whenever I dreamed one of them , one after another I got sick. I just don't know why, if it was just a coincidence or what . I was sick lately and I thank God , by His grace , mercy and loving kindness I was healed and has recovered.

I thought that I , my son and nephew was sick of flu but then I learned that most of us in the neighborhood suffered with it but was healed too.

What Sickness Meant To Me

Sickness meant that our body's immune system and body resistance becomes weak , that cause us to be susceptible to bacteria or virus that cause sickness.

Sickness nowadays are really inevitable , due to constant change of weather conditions. No matter what the age of the person is , anyone becomes a victim of any kind of sickness anywhere in this vast world that we live in.

Sickness is one of the saddest experience that could happen to anyone in this world .When you are sick you are deprived of many things to be enjoyed in this life that a healthy person usually enjoyed. Whether your sickness is just common , one way or another you are missing out something in your life. Much more when your sickness cause you to be bed ridden for a long time .

Sickness could also mean, one of the path that leads to death. There are other means or other causes that people died, But I think the mortality rate is commonly caused by sickness.

Caused of Death of my Departed Loved Ones

Most of my deceased loved ones died due to sickness. They suffered with the kind of sickness that they had .

My Father

My father died at the age of 87 yrs. old. He was hospitalized but he preferred to be taken cared of at the house instead of being in the hospital. And so he was brought home. I was one of those who took care of him . He was bed ridden , in dextrose and with oxygen. During the time of his sickness and taking time to care for him, I, as well as my mother and siblings, were able to prepare our hearts , for such a time or day that he will depart from us. So when the time of my father's death comes , though it was painful, yet we were able to cope up with it. It was easier for us to accept his departure.

My father died of emphyzema on July 2004. And this might have been caused by the second hand smoke, because my father didn't ever smoke during his lifetime. He was actually always in a mahjong session with friends and neighborhood during his days. And most of his companions in playing mahjong were smoking.

My Second Eldest Sister

My second Eldest sister were able to visit see my father still alive , before she went abroad to New Zealand on month of June, 2004, a month before the death of my father . My second Eldest sister were petitioned by her son who work and reside there with family.

Come October 2004, just 3 mos. after the death of my father we were informed that she died. We learned that she had an high blood attack that damaged her brain that caused her to be in a coma and died later. Her corpse were brought back here in the Philippines and she was buried here in her husband's province in Pampanga . We were able to attend to her wake, but I was noth able to be there during her internment.

My Fourth Eldest Sister

She was a single lady and was diagnosed to have lupous. I was the one who also took care of her for I am the only sister who is available to do it for her. My husband, my second son and me went home to the province to join my aged mother, my fourth Eldest sister who is sick at that time, and my youngest PWD sister. That was October 2008, when we settled in the province . And since that time I took care of my aged mother, my sick sister and my PWD sister . My Fourth Eldest sister died , February 14, 2009 at the age of almost 60 . I only took care of her for four months. After her death , I continued to stay with my aged mother and PWD sister, with my husband and second son.

My Aged Mother

I stayed & took care my aged mother Oct. 2008. My aged mother was 86 yrs. old at that time. But as time goes on and she became older, she became weak and had no appetite to eat , making her more weaker. in such condition of being bed ridden, she herself was prepared to die, and I also prepared myself for that very day as I took care of her daily .

I still remember the event before she died. I didn't know that it was her last meal . I prepared a stewed dish for her. She ate but just so little, so I just decided to just go back again to feed her. I left the food beside her and cover it with a cloth napkin before I left her room. I feel so sleepy at that time. When I woke up to feed her again, I noticed the cloth napkin on the floor and the mug with the spoon on a chair beside her. I go near my mother to wake her up. But she did not respond to me. I call my younger brother to check my mother too, for I doubted myself and wanted to confirm my doubts. My brother felt her pulse in wrist and neck and he said she is already dead. But as I feel my mother's body it was still warm but his feet up to her limbs were cold. We just took our cool and didn't panic. As I looked at my mother's face she was at peace. Her both hands were folded over her chest . As if she has prepared herself to it. I covered her with a blanket then.

Before I left her room , I took the time to get the mug in the chair beside her. It's the time that I noticed that the food I was going to feed her were all gone. There arose a question in my mind, how come it is gone. If a cat have eaten it then the mug must have fallen as well as the spoon. But then it was all intact in the same place. So it really puzzled me a lot. I was thinking then, did my mother rise up herself and ate it? Up to now I can't know the answer and it really puzzled me .

I just have to end in this story for the meantime. And will just share to you some other time the others. What I will just say that it's been a blessing for me to be with my loved ones on their remaining days in their lives to have the chance to take care of them to make them feel loved and taken cared of. I had the chance to share to them the gospel of salvation while I can still talk to them and let them understand and decide to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The very hope that anyone could have after death. That there is a life hereafter that will be spend in the presence of God and Saviour Jesus Christ in heaven, which is the best place of joy , peace and comfort. No more sickness, no more pain , no more hunger nor thirst, but truly rest in peace, because of God's presence.

Their remains were left here on earth, on the burial place we call cemetery, but their soul rest in peace with God in heaven.

And with due respect to the remains of my Departed loved ones my younger & I planned a visit to the cemetery.

Yesterday morning I picked the flowers in our mini garden. I gave it to my younger sister fir her to prepare a boquette.

With her husband who drove for us with their tricycle, and with his son we cleaned the burial place.

After cleaning we put the bouquet of flowers and my sister lighted a candle.

I just hope you too would remember to visit the remains of your departed Loved ones on or before Nov. 1.

#9 Article as if Oct. 2022

Title:Remembering Our Departed
Loved Ones

Published: Oct  29, 2022
Saturday - 5:08 pm