• My father’s life encapsulated – A Heartfelt Eulogy

    fathers life encapsulated heartfelt eulogy

    How do you completely capture 71 years of someone’s life in a Eulogy? When I think of my dad and want to encapsulate his life in one word; then “humble” comes to mind.

    On 6 April 2019, my dad passed away. His death was sudden and it caught us off guard. And I know that  death is part of life – it is guaranteed and unavoidable; yet for those left behind it is something that you remain physically and mentally unprepared for.

    Writing his eulogy was heart wrenching as I couldn’t get myself to refer to him in the past tense. And as much as it was an honour and privilege to deliver his eulogy; it was at the same time extremely difficult for me to utter those words.

    I was approached by many to share what I said at my dad’s funeral in a blog post. Apprehensive at first to write it down as this was something that was private and only shared with friends and family. But then it hit me – that my dad’s life was a gift to us. He was an amazing husband, father and grandfather and that his life story should be celebrated and shared with others.

    I am still going through the grieving process and some days are easier than others. I have my moments when I just let out. It is a process that will take time and everyone handles it differently. You will never truly understand grief until you lose someone very close to you.  However, typing this post brought a sense of calm over me.

    Herewith I’m sharing this eulogy with you in remembrance of my dad. For privacy reasons, I have omitted the personal information from this version. View Post

    DEATH, The unpleasant subject and dealing with grief

    Death unpleasant subject dealing grief

    A peaceful death, an unexpected death, a tragic death – no matter how it occurs – dealing with the death of a loved one or friend remains extremely difficult. Guaranteed and unavoidable; yet it’s a subject that will also be unpleasant. It’s unpleasant because we fear the unknown.  And when we fear something it makes us uncomfortable and anxious.

    This past week has been rough. With the death of six people I know within days from each other. Death made its appearance like a thief in the night in the middle of June.

    All six (family, friends and acquaintances) who passed were frail, weak and had sick beds.  They too feared death at some point in their lives but I believe in my heart that they were at peace with the fact that their final hour was close by.  Some were able to converse and say what should happen when they die. And yes we as the surviving family and friends knew it was just a matter of time; we knew that death would release them from their suffering. During this time the family made to-do lists, updated necessary documentation and started making the necessary preparations should anything happen.  They waited in anticipation. But ironically; the day when death came knocking we all remained physically and mentally unprepared.

    This beckons the question. How do we as the surviving family and friends deal with death and grief.

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