THE BEAUTY OF DYING

My dear Papa was hospitalized for months. He was diagnosed with cancer. It was a shock for the whole family, especially to my beloved Mama. They had been married for forty-two years and blessed with four beautiful daughters (that includes me, of course). Through life’s ups and downs, our family stuck together with Jesus as our guiding light.

When my dear Papa died, wow, that was huge for me. I thought I was ready for any death in the family because for me everybody would die sooner or later (knock, knock…our life here is just temporary, you know). But I found out, I’m human…..with a soft heart…..prone to pain. He was supposed to check out from the hospital for his condition was improving, but complications found a way in his body. I prayed for his recovery with all the sincerity I could put into it (pls, pls, pls Lord). I cried. I begged. I danced (just kidding). But then, I saw him in the ICU helpless with so many machines and tubes attached to him. I went to the chapel and I cried like there was a waterfall in my eyes (spplllaaasshh). I didn’t mind the people having mass. All I care that moment was my dear Papa in the ICU (a woman pitied me that after the mass she gave me a postcard of Mama Mary). I prayed again with all the sincerity I could put into it. But this time, I asked the Lord to fetch my dear Papa and welcome him in His kingdom with open arms. Jesus did fetch him. I still cried. It is still painful, but I know he is better off there rather than here with a hardheaded daughter (hey! It is a joke. Ha, ha, ha!)

We had a hard time telling this to my beloved Mama. We didn’t know how. She had a heart ailment (in fact she took seven kinds of medicine for it). We even asked her closest sister to assist us in breaking the news to her. During the first months, she missed him so much (wow, it was really true love). Friends and relatives would come to appease her, until she had accepted that it was the Lord’s will. After seven months, she had a heart attack. She died peacefully. I also cried. It was painful, too, but I know she was happy to be reunited with my father and her Creator. She deserved to rest in the Lord’s bosom with my dear Papa. She had been so very good, not just with her family but with other people, too. She had helped so many of them in her lifetime. Her leaving was painful but should be with applause (Clap! Clap! Clap!). Her life here on earth was a job well done.

Oftentimes, we see death as a lost. We cry so much. We mourn so much. We are in great anguish. It is normal because we are human with a fragile heart. But what we do not see is the beauty of dying. Yes, we will miss the person. We can’t imagine how we will live our life without them, but this is what we feel. We grief for a while, but later, instead of moping around for their physical absence in our lives, we should be happy for them. We should stop thinking of ourselves for a moment and think of what will happen to them.

They are much blessed than we are because they will be at the bosom of the Lord. They are with Jesus. Forever they will have eternal peace, no worries, no problems and most of all they are literally beside Jesus in the whole sense of its meaning. What is greater than that?

Have you ever thought of the beauty of being beside the Lord eternally? Of being in paradise with Him? Oh, wow! We always focus in our lives here on earth. We seem to think that life here is endless. We are so much attached to everything that we have materially. We are so much attached in our life here.

Well, it is about time to think of our life after death. Our existence here is just a preparation for it. How we live here will determine our worthiness of being with the Lord after we die. We should always be aware of this and let our loved ones and others be aware of it, too. Let's strive to live our life without shame in the Lord’s eyes and behold . . . experience the beauty of dying..

-luisadelacruz