And He breathed into us Life

I couldn’t pay attention to Pastor Daniel last Sunday, despite my joy of being back in DUMC. I cannot recall what he talked about now.

I was thinking of Paul and his dad’s sudden departure from this world. Vinna (Paul’s fiancée) told me that he was shopping at Carrefour with his wife (Paul’s mom) when he complained of dizziness, then breathing difficulty before he collapsed. Aunty Jenny (I’ve never called her this) performed CPR to no avail (she is a nurse). I could put the last sentence as I felt it but it would be too tragic.

Paul and Vinna flew back on Thursday and arrived home Friday. Gin, HM, HC and I were at the second wake on Saturday night. I was so good to see them again. Gin said she had never imagined she would finally meet Vinna this way.

Vinna continued that Paul’s dad had gone for a fitting of his suit for their wedding next month, that same morning.

Christian funerals can be so deceiving. People are glad that the departed have gone to an infinitely better place called Heaven, to have a perfect body (Paul’s dad had an amputated leg), and to be in Jesus’ embrace. It is a beautiful thing, I admit.

Paul had to say a eulogy. He joked with us that he would make it funny. He said he would say that his dad had always been the strong and silent type and now he would be even more silent. Gin and I laughed but Vinna just looked at him. “They laughed!” he said.

In church Sunday morning I thought about all this and I thought he wouldn’t be able to say it. That cheerful person with always a willing smile and a joke to make others laugh- will break down during the eulogy.

Half-way through the Pastor Daniel's sermon, someone in the front row at the balcony where I was sitting, fainted on her seat. There was a small commotion. A fear crossed my heart that she died. So is fragile our lives. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Like breath. But she sat up eventually.

There have been so many deaths this year. I really hope this is the last I would know of. Just for this year, if it is not too much to ask, Lord.

I didn’t go to Paul’s dad’s funeral. But he didn’t make that joke. And he started to cry at the third sentence.