32 years on ..... IN MEMORY

Today, I urgently rushed back home. Mom had a fainting spell in church. While it happened, I was speaking at another church in KL. Many thoughts were in my mind .. we had just celebrated her 81st birthday 4 days ago. She looked good!

Also, so many batterings have come my way. Guardians? Huh? Friends? Hmm! Welfare? Ouch!! Tragedy? Yeah. Have felt like a huge drum that one bashes to get out the rhythmic boom, boom, boom! This morning seemed like just another bash.

While making preparations to go home, I also remembered it was the 10th of July. Tomorrow is the 11th!

32 years ago! July 11th. One heart stopped beating. They said he went in his sleep. I was the last person to have seen him, cos I left for school at 11.45. They recorded his time of death at 12 something.

Being home to visit mum ... who had recovered. It was a case of not eating anything before church, and fainting there. My brother had rushed back too from JB. We took the opportunity. Brother, Sister and his two sons! We braved ourselves against the briars, we made our way to the brown granite monument .... we pulled grass, we cleaned, we put flowers, we lighted candles.

IN MEMORY! Yeah, in memory of my papa! He returned to Jesus 32 years ago. But we remembered, my brother and I ... his LEGACY in our lives ~ humor (never leave home without it); extra mile love (even if you make do without); excellence (exact yourself to give 100% or more quality); family (make time always!); and many more I cannot name here.

My brother asked me to pray! What could I say, but THANK YOU GOD FOR PAPA!

I closed my eyes, and I remembered the lil girl who stood at that very grave, 32 years ago. I was nine!! I could feel myself sliding into the grave as we threw earth onto the coffin. Mum was holding on to my hand. Now so many years have passed. So many events, experiences, endeavors undertaken. But we return there, and we are just mere children of a father who didn't get to see us grow up.

"Papa, your legacy 32 years later is still intact. We have tried to pass them on to Josh and Rosh, the new generation in our family. We will try. We have failed, but we have tried to pick ourselves up. Hope we have made you proud along the way. Sorry for the mistakes!"

In memory of P. ARULRAJAH!!