The Lord is the Great Musician

Why do the young have to die?

I am praying for the eternal repose of the soul of my 16 year old patient who finally breathed her last. The cause of death: poverty. 

When doctors know what needs to be done to provide their patients with the best prognosis, and yet do not have the resources to treat - what else can we do but pray and offer consolation in death and dying, and hope that we have done absolutely everything we could.

While waiting for funds for her treatment, she personally asked my permission to allow her to spend christmas at home with her family. She even asked me for "pamasko". She was happy and hopeful and relatively healthy. Little did I know that this would be her last Christmas.

In my mourning, my mother comforts me with her prayer: "I pray that the family and her doctors have the wisdom to accept God's will.  Death is just a transition.  Not the end."

Help me to remember that I am just your instrument Lord. You are the musician. Some music are allegro, others legato. Some are fortissimo, others pianissimo. Even silence has a meaning, a pregnant pause. It is not the end. It is just the beginning of a new page.

*written on December 28, 2014 on facebook.

Today we celebrate my parents' 46th wedding anniversary although my father passed away in 2001.  The life event of her wedding is a milestone in my mother's life that she chooses to celebrate beyond my father's death.  Til death do you part seems poignant since my father's presence is felt in the closeness of my family over a quiet dinner, taking a break from a busy day's work.

We pay tribute to my father and his life of service to the Filipino people and his love and devotion to his wife and his duty to his children.  

I hope someday I may also contribute enough to have an impact on someone's life to be remembered long after my death.  Some music are allegro, others legato. Some are fortissimo, others pianissimo. Even silence has a meaning, a pregnant pause. It is not the end. It is just the beginning of a new page.