Sunday 29 / March / 2026
It has been a case of two funerals and a wedding. A wedding of a member of my own family, a funeral of an extended family and the burial of a family friend. It all happened last month to remind me that life is a bumpy rollercoaster ride with many sharp turns.
The shock of one death was sweetened by a celebration of a wedding reception and then it was time to go back to the cemetery. It left many people involved wonder but of course words may never fully explain it. Different people interpret such events differently but the outcome is the same. You are born, you get married, you die and that is the end of the story. We fill the void in between as we go along. We remember people by their deeds, actions and how they treat us during their lifetime.
There are many contrasting views for life after death and I am not talking about paradise. It is the legacy we leave behind, which is important, too. It starts from the moment people hear about death and it lingers on for quite a long time. The second funeral I attended this month was a testimony to the life of the deceased. In the drenching afternoon rain, friends held the coffin aloft and passed it to one another in a half kilometre long trip to the cemetery.
People then waited in a queue, not really minding the rain, to offer their condolences to the family. They say you would now how person was well-liked by the number of people turning up at the funeral. It was as if a noble man with great distinction had died.
I spoke out of turn when I whispered to a friend," they should perhaps build shades in the cemeteries…"
He turned to me and answered sarcastically," are you really thinking of yourself or him?"
I then realised my remark was ill-timed. This was no circus but the end of life of one of the most gracious person I ever knew. As I looked down a line of wet faces, I saw most of them chatting and exchanging pleasantries. I then realised it was not a complete sombre moment. We were sad that he was gone but our presence in large number was a celebration of his life. But then perhaps it was a tribute to the man himself.
He was not noble by title though a certain ruler was a frequent visitor to his humble house. He was simple but I guess the nobility in him resided deep in his character. He was not a wealthy man either but then he did not need the power of money to be generous. His life touched everybody who knew him.
Normally we remember the good things about dead people and try to forget about their shortcomings. It is hard to say anything bad about him and that was a popular opinion.
Just a few hours after the funeral, we received a call from our newly weds from their honeymoon nest. They reminded us that they were part of the chain of life and death. Our family’s topic changed suddenly to a more cheerful tone. It shows how the mood change quickly as the rollercoaster takes another turn. The shadow of bereavement never looms long enough when life is in full swing. Life must go on and anything less is pure selfishness. One can never trade one misery in the world with a countless of blessings that wait down the road.
We solemnly salute people who depart and rejoice what we have to live for.
