Mourning The Death Of A Son

William Shakespeare once wrote “And, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of Heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the garish sun”.

What is death? Just a week ago, I was at Eugene’s father’s cremation. It was an emotional and somber morning and no words can simply express the grief experienced by Eugene and his mother. Having to tend to his father’s wake since last Friday was certainly a heart-wrenching roller-coaster period for Eugene and his loss is insurmountable. But Eugene isn’t alone in his grief because he has friends and family to support him and his friends from church who are always with him in spirit. It was a Christian wake befitting for Eugene’s father who accepted Christ and was baptized in his dying days. No doubt, we will depart this world one way or another but death gives us sleep, eternal youth, and immortality. I know for one that Eugene’s Dad is with the angels of heaven who rejoiced in the birth of a new son.

I could tell that despite his grief, Eugene was touched by the events of the past week. Although I only met Eugene for the first time at the wake, I wanted to tell him that the best we can remember of our departed loved ones is their love for us. In a world brazen with desires of the flesh and temporal materialism, love is a word we have often taken for granted. We have loved only with the words that come from our mouths but not with our hearts. Eugene’s father was a family man and his loved ones will remember him as a loving father and a doting husband. No one will remember him for his bank accounts nor his personal achievements.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we know that love is never self-seeking. It protects, trusts, hopes and always perseveres. Love is an enduring legacy that surpasses in magnitude all worldly legacies. How do we want to be remembered when we pass away?

Written by:
Kenny Tan
Joshua's 12