we just buried my late uncle yesterday. it's our first "dead" after my lolo died in 1992. it was hard for the santos clan to deal with it. everyone was in denial,everyone was in pain,but everyone saw it coming. that he will eventually lose the battle. he succumbed to septic shock a.k.a multiple organ failure.
i'm one of those who can't bear seeing cadavers,let alone viewing them in a coffin. this one was different. since the dead person is my tito,i was not afraid. i even watched him while his lifeless body was being covered with white cloth. i was even the one who chose the casket he'll lay in. i made sure he lied in a nice viewing box . after all,it was the last time people saw his face. i kept telling him that i hoped he liked his bed. i also couldn't help but look at him everytime i had the chance because it was the first time i saw him that handsome and peaceful.
we battled fatigue and sleepless nights during the wake. but what's worse was the emotion that overpowered us. we kept exchanging tito mon stories -- how everyone treated him, how he remembered everyone's birthday and how he asked everyone for his final request. funny how he asked my cousin to buy him a black belt, my tita for a basketball jersey,another cousin for a watch and my other uncle for a bottle of orange soda. ha! we never realized that was his last.
oh well, everyone has his time. some may pass tragically, some peaceful. so i guess it's true when they say "carpe diem." seize the day. you will never know when it will be your last. that's why it's called the present, because it is indeed a gift.
rest in peace, tito mon. find your way back home. i prayed to god that he welcomes you in his kingdom with open arms.
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