How I found Hope after my Father’s Demise?
I saw my father change from being a strong man in his thirties, and forties to becoming a victim of ailing health.
It was heartbreaking to see him in pain but I always believed he would live a long life.
The reason being a priest once told my dad, man, you will live beyond 90 years.
As a child I overheard it, and it stayed within my subconscious for a long long time…
The human mind is a strange entity, even though you evolve into an adult, some things that happened during your childhood stay fresh in your head.
That’s why every time his health worsened, I would have faith that my father would pull it off.
90 years is what the priest said, and it was etched in my brain.
I was betting on a statement I overheard during my childhood days.
I think that’s how faith works, that’s how hope works.
But sometimes in life, your faith falters,
Something happens that crushes your soul.
The year 2020 came like a death angel in our lives,
Livelihoods were destroyed,
People lost their dear ones,
And the whole world came to a standstill,
While we kept banging our utensils to support our medical professionals,
They kept perishing due to lack of protective gear.
That is what happens when you try to install false hope in the minds of people without doing something about the actual problem.
It was on 30th November when my father passed away, and that for me came like all of a sudden,
Like a moment I was never prepared for,
As if someone snatched him away from me, and this was the year I hadn’t met him in flesh for a long long time.
I had high hopes this Christmas season and I was looking forward to spending some time with him.
But in a day, all those hopes turned into despair, and I was left alone weeping in a city where I was just a few months old.
There wasn’t enough time to grieve, I packed my bags and took the early morning flight to my hometown with no idea how I was going to deal with life in the next few days.
Throughout the journey, I kept thinking what if my father is alive, what if I could talk to him for one last time, and have one last conversation…
With all these thoughts, I landed in Bhopal,
My MCYM friends came to receive me. When I reached my home, my mother ran towards me, hugged me, and cried on my shoulders for what seemed like an eternity.
As time passed, I saw my distressed sister and shed some tears with her.
It was as if time had stopped all of a sudden,
And it is during your toughest times, God sends his mightiest angels for help,
For me that help came in the form of our Veliya Achan and Chief Vicar General Fr. Daniel Kuzhithadathil Corepiscopo, Trustee and General Secretary of our Church, Mr. Johnson Madapally and Roy Eapen,
Ex Trustee and General Secretary, Mr. CA Jose, and Y Shaji uncle,
From taking care of the coffin to helping me with an ambulance to pick my father’s body, they did everything possible for the last rituals to go smoothly,
While I was traveling from Bangalore to Bhopal, they made sure everything is done right to give a proper burial to my father.
My MCYM friends stood by my side like a rock,
From going to the hospital with me to cleaning my father’s body and then carrying it all through his last journey,
My friends made sure I don’t feel alone, I don’t feel weak while going through the toughest ordeal of my life.
When the prayers were done, Sisters and Aunties stayed back,
They mourned for my father, they sang songs and cried with my mother and sister.
It felt as if the whole community came together to stand by our side during these tough times.
And mind you, they all stood by us when COVID was wreaking havoc across the globe.
And that is what gave me hope in times of despair,
It was my community, my people, and their actions that gave me hope.
For that, I will be grateful to them for a long long time…
Yes, that priest who predicted that my father will live for more than 90 years,
His prediction fell short by a mere 30 years,
But such is life, predictions fall flat, and the biggest plans tumble,
That’s why having faith in God almighty matters, for when you put your hopes in him,
You get the will to live your life every single day!
May the love of Christ be with you all…
