Last month my Great-Uncle Frank, my grandma's brother, passed away after having suffered for many years with Parkinson's-like symptoms. To be honest, I did not know him very well, even though we lived in the same town for most of my life. But I saw my cousins, his children, rally around their father. But especially, I saw how Aunt Loretta dedicated herself to staying by his side, even with all the round-the-clock nursing care they had.
Funerals and weddings are the two occasions in which our family gathers. In a strange way, the reunion with everyone last month was joyous, and some of us commented how we regretted that our families only see each other during these times. Within families, there are often many regrets.
My dad gave the moving eulogy. Something he said struck me: "...sometimes God, in His infinite Divine Mercy, elects to choose a Victim Soul – a soul who will participate in the redemptive process of atonement begun on Calvary to expiate flaws in him, his family, his community, his nation, the whole world. Frank answered this call with an embrace: without complaint and with immense faith and humility and dignity. We owe Frank a lot."
The sky's the limit. And I'm (almost) at peace.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear about your loss. Funerals do make you sit and think. The good part is that you can do something now to make a difference! xo, L
aww Elena. I haven't visited your blog in a while. I wish I had your gift for writing, I know you get that from you dad. It was a beautitul eulogy and your words here have brought tears to my eyes. I'll miss Uncle Frank.
Post a Comment