Life and Death Mystery

byjmg52

439 followers

4 years ago

"Life is a secret; Death remains mystery" ~ R.R Matt. Smith

Last week was very sad for me and my family - today is a week since my 100-year-old father passed away from Covid. So this post is a tribute to him. Since you are also my family, I feel that I can share and celebrate his life with you. Believe me, I can tell stories of him and his life for as long as you will listen. But don't worry, I will not bore you with details (even though they are very remarkable).

For as long as I can remember, he made the first toast at all our family gatherings. It was always more of a speech than a toast, spoken off the cuff and from his heart. He was able so easily to capture the importance of any occasion, the importance of why we were all together as a family, the importance of each of us as individuals and to him (and my Mom) and to articulate it all in his warm, raspy voice. He was always his own best storyteller.

He was a person of deep intelligence, curiosity, and he always had a steadfast desire to share his knowledge.

He always needed to understand the order of things—of medicine, of the military, of the weather, etc. He was meticulous (even his time of death was 22:22). From his perfect penmanship to the delicious desserts (no, he was not a baker, he was a doctor) to his unyielding integrity. He spoke with honesty, and he expected nothing less from his family.

He was a MAN. They don't make such men anymore. Every person he ever contacted, remember him - either it's his friends, mine or my brother's friends, or his granddaughter's friends.

But what I know I will remember best is the feeling of being loved, unconditionally, fiercely, just for being me. Just for being his daughter. That was enough to make this remarkable person love me. Even more love he extended to his granddaughters. I will remember the feeling of him holding me, hugging me, his hands always warm and strong, and feeling safe. Always.

He lived a life full of luck, but we were the luckiest because we were the ones he loved!

PS. What is the mystery of his death? I talked to his nurse a couple of hours before and nothing portended his passing this day. What was so special about this day? His twin sister passed away exactly the same day 5 years ago!