Death is certain! It does not matter who you are. Whether you are a sinner or a saint, rich or poor, your time will come.
The least we can do is to live life to the fullest and show love. We can also rejoice that we do not know the date and time of our death. Otherwise, we would do many stupid things prior to our demise.
Needless to mention the panic among family members and relatives. Death is an unpleasant experience. It cuts through our strongest organs. Sadly, it’s inevitable. We’ve all experienced it. It’s the value of the departed that defines the severity of the pain and the circumstances that led to their death.
I’ve lost many people over the years, and the pain has never been the same. In some cases, it would be a matter of shock, while in some instances, I would break down and weep.
My first real encounter with death was in 1994, with the death of my grandmother. May her soul rest in eternal peace. She was our pillar of strength and her demise tore the family apart. Yet, we regrouped and continued with our lives, knowing that she would never live forever. Today, I am grateful for all the lessons she taught me.
Since then, I’ve lost many other people. In 2014, I lost my two uncles in a space of four months. This year has been another horrendous year. I lost two very important people in three months (February and April) and this month I lost my wife’s brother.
The former had a deep-rooted bond with me and we chatted regularly through WhatsApp. For over 20 years, we shared many exciting times. The latter was one of those people who made you feel welcome in the presence of strangers. He was a gentle giant, a bond that held the family together. One thing in common with all three is that we had plans to meet.
However, they died while we tried to figure out dates and times. It has been a real struggle to come to terms with all these incidents. They left me with lots of resentment. They have made me feel like a failure. While I understand that it is the will of God, I regret the fact that we had pending matters. At the heart of all is procrastination.
The fact is, time does not belong to anyone. We are on earth for a limited period. It’s vital that we use every second we have to the fullest. We must live life without regrets so that when the time comes, we are not filled with unnecessary anguish.
Show love today and do not be afraid to reach out to the next person before it is too late. There is no time to hold grudges. You do not want someone to die while you have differences. I am glad that none of these departed compatriots had differences with me. Yes, I failed to answer a call before one of them died. This is something that continues to haunt me.
