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| Well, I guess it's over. Hard to believe, but I guess our differences were just too much. I still love you Sophie, and I wish you all the best in your life. Please keep in touch and remain a friend. Thanks for all the memories. | | |
| Damn, it's not that cold here in Vancouver, but.....there isn't a single part of the country above zero! http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/canada_e.html | | |
| So today was the funeral for my uncle, Fred. He's 23 years older than my dad and passed away from lung cancer, after 11 years of battling the effects of various strokes. Of all my aunts and uncles on my dad's side, I was closest to him. Given that my grandparents died when my dad was 13, Uncle Fred has been the rock of the family, the father figure. He was the first member of the Low family to emigrate to Canada from Fiji, and forgoed a university degree to finance the higher education of his sibblings. Every sibbling spent some time living at his chicken farm in Richmond. All his kids, Dick, Edmund, Tony and Louise are respected members of society, 3 of them, emergency physicians. More importantly, they are genuine human beings. They all have kids of their own now. I love you all. I didn't think I was that close to my extended family, but the service today made me think of all we've done together despite the age gaps. It also made me think about what I'd done with Uncle Fred. Seeing him laying in the coffin was very moving, very eerie, as I kept seeing him get out of it (maybe I was tired, maybe I still just couldn't believe it). I didn't think I'd get emotional at the funeral. When Aunt Wyn offerred me some kleenex prior to the service, I turned her down, thinking I wouldn't need them. However, despite my wildest dreams, I became teary eyed as it all sunk in. Seeing Dick break down as he gave his speech was so hard to watch. I've never seen any of my cousins cry before. Louise had to go comfort him. I sat beside Jennifer - she broke down - her family probably spent the most time living with Uncle Fred. The reality of the events really sunk in. Uncle Amson spoke about how when my grandmother died, my dad was 13 - he was really devastated by it. My dad rarely shows much sad emotion and when we went to my grandparents graves in Fiji, he didn't seem too sad or emotional. However, apparently, when his mom died (his dad had died the previous year), he was totally devastated, lost and hurting. I'd never thought of my dad like that - that brought tears to my eyes. Apparently of all the kids, my dad was the closest to my grandmother and was the only person home when she died. At the tender age of 13, he baptised my grandmother on her death bed. The previous year, the exact same scnenario had occurred, with my dad being with my grandfather when he died, and baptising him on his death bed. Talk about faith. Yesterday, the day before the funeral, Dick showed me a picture of Dad when he was about 12 or 13 - he was the sweetest, cutest, most innocent looking little boy I've ever seen. I've always known my dad as a super fit, super hard athlete, a black belt in karate and BC judo chmapion, and an extremely dangerous man to pick a fight with. I've never really thought of him as a little boy living in a tropical paradise. Eating mangos in his backyard tree all day, charging the papya tree on his bike. It's heart-breaking, thinking of what he went through. I've never really thought about my dad and his parents' deaths, but it must have been horribly trying for him, something I hope that others don't have to endure. After the service, we went back to Uncle Fred's house and looked at old pictures - There are exactly two pictures of my dad as a kid in our house, so I got to see many photos of him for the first time. Uncle Fred treated him as a son growing up, something else I had never really given much thought. To see Jen, Sonja, super skier Mike, and even Doug, the super hard fire-fighter and black belt in karate, crying, was so hard to take in. I honestly never thought I'd cry, but not all tears are bad. Throughout the ceremony, "Isa Lei" (Fijian song that I learned when I went to Fiji 13 years ago) was playing. It's such a beautiful song. Courtney put together the arrangement.
"Isa isa vulagi lassa dina
Nomu lako au na raraw kina
Cava beak ko a mai cavaka
Nomu lako au na sega ni lasa...."
Goodbye Unlce Fred and fare thee well. As Dad said, your spirit lives on in your kids and their beautiful grandchildren. One day we'll see you again. God has welcomed home a son, and ordained a new angel today. | | |
| "Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell"
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| Okay, this sucks, I seriously think I'm going to fail this exam. Je trouverai le mort en 5 heures. On the bright side, There's some awesome coffee that I just found in the pantry...I'll get up at 5 again. Bonne nuit. | | |
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