Remembering Kuya(Brother) Mark...

Sometimes things happen unexpectedly that we don't want to happen, but we must accept it. We can't accept letting someone go because it causes us so much pain. Maybe it was one of your pets or someone you truly love and has had a special place in your heart since you were a child. When you truly accept it, however, the hardest part isn't letting go; it's learning and accepting it so you can move on and start over.

I would like to express my admiration for my brother Mark's kindness and strength. I dedicated this to him because he has such a wonderful life, and it was a great opportunity for me to remember and share with you the beauty of life with our family, friends, and loved ones. Furthermore, he is not my biological brother; rather, he is my cousin, but he was the one who acted as my older brother.

We've been getting ready to go to school since then because we went to the same kindergarten. We're not classmates since he's one year ahead of me. After school, we were picked up by our grandfather on his motorcycle and taken home in the afternoon. Then, rather than doing our homework, we went out to play in our backyard. And when our Aunt (who is a teacher at our school) comes home, we splash back to our grandfather's house to pretend to be studying. I and my brother Mark have been so close since then, and we're not far apart because we're in the same range of age. That was the time that all we want to do is to play and do assignments. When I think of those memories, I sometimes wish I could go back to my childhood and capture all of the things we did without giving it a second thought, just to play and play, and to relive those feelings in a few minutes with your friends and my kuya Mark.

In contrast, as we grow older, we may notice that our friendships become less close. It's not the way we play; we get along and play even if we don't know each other as children. However, I've noticed that some of our friends have become snobbish and act as if you can't see through them these days. So I have to thank some people who will remember you even if they don't need you; it's just a way of remembering how generous you are. And a special thanks to some platform that can provide access to anyone, including Messenger, for someone who has been unable to contact for a long period of time, and Read Cash who can gives you a constant friend to help you grow.

Then he went to grade school on his mother's side of the family, so we couldn't always get along. If I go to see him there and there is an occasion in our family, we can play a little. As time passes, we find ourselves back in the same school when we enter secondary education. I'm a freshman, and he's a sophomore. I notice that he is not who I assume he is because of those who surround him, just as I am. He'll now be goofy, despite the fact that he's a good brother pa rin. He has a lot of friends, so I believe he picked it up from them. I don't mind if he has a lot of friends; I'm just glad he can get along with them. However, I admit that I am still unable to believe that he has made a difference. That's life; we can't force everyone to be who they truly are and act the way we used to.

When we finished secondary school, he stayed at our school to continue his education in Senior High, while I went to the city to study. As we got older and closer to reality, we used to constantly message each other about what courses we needed to take in college, what jobs we needed to apply for, and so on. More than anything, Kuya Mark has a lot of ambitions for himself and his family. He graduated from Senior High with honors, proving that he is still our brother in the way we thought he was.

Kuya Mark failed to mention that he had been suffering from stomach pains for a few days, so he was rushed to the nearest hospital after our Uncle's funeral. He's declared dead after a brief resuscitation.

If he's still alive, he'll be graduating from college with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology. And his sister told me before he died that Kuya was active in church, that he surrendered and gave everything to God.

I'm so proud of you, Kuya Mark. I believe that you had a great time with God now. I know that there's an answer why you took Him away from us. I want to say that you did a great job. Thank you so much for everything. You will be always in our hearts forever...

I will end this with a quote, "The comfort of having someone may be taken away, but not that having had one." -Seneca, Philosopher.

Yours truly,