Sunday, April 08, 2007
...HE'S IN FARAWAY LAND...In the wee hours of Saturday morning, we received news that my
beloved Obek Wasil (my dad's eldest half brother) passed away in
Gresik (Surabaya, Indonesia). Lately,he had gone there back and forth from Singapore to meet my Arwah Atok's relatives (most or rather all whom I've never met before) these few weeks. When dad told him not to travel often, he said "I like it...even if it means spending my last days of my life there." Maybe he had a feeling, his departure from this world was nearing.
Tears rolled down my cheeks when I heard the news. Probably, my siblings don't feel the same cos I see him more often than them over the years. Tutoring my niece and nephew (his grandchildren) allowed me to talk to him more often. His words of advice to me and his grandchildren "don't forget to always visit your relatives", "family is important", "study hard", etc. He always teased my niece for never calling me Bibi or Auntie cos we are only 10yrs apart and have grown closer like close friends.
I realised how he, a strong man, changed to a thin old man. He was 70+ when he passed away. When my grandma passed away 2 years back, he visited her at the hospital often...a display of
affection and love for a mother who was not his real mother. All this heartful efforts, despite being sick and weak himself.
My cousins and his son-in-laws flew to Surabaya. Here I was praying for us to be given a chance to see him. Sadly, my cousin called to inform that he would be buried there amongst my late relatives. And that was his last wish. If we want to bring him back here, it would cost us about S$6000. The love that people had for him was apparent from the presence of about 300 relatives crowding the hospital and at the religious ceremony.
Terkilan but all we can do here is pray for Arwah Obek.
A man whom I've always respected for his never-ending concern for his family and relatives, for his devotion to The Almighty, for the happy tears that he shed meeting me and others, and for everything he did.
May Allah protect him from azab kubur and may he be placed among aminul mukminin. Amin....You never know when today is your last tomorrow...
naniz @ 5:31:00 PM