Condolences to Pr Lawrence and Family

Yesterday was a painful day to endure for Pr Lawrence, Aunt Nelly, Larry and Lorna and many of us who knew his son. Pr Lawrence is the pastor who baptized me back in 97. He lost his eldest son, Lownell to cancer. He was one of the youths that we grew up with at church. I was not personally close to him in any way but, we sang together in a choir quite a number of times. Our last conversation was at a burger stall, near his family's apartment, waiting for our orders, strangely, that simple meet was so strong in my mind. I'm 26 yrs old, and still incapable of rationalizing, describing or simply perceiving death. It simply felt awful. I was there to attend the funeral at church and spent the previous 2 nights before for the wake service. During the funeral service, his family and friends said their final good-byes. What truly hit all of us that day, was when his friend, also a patient in the same ward where he spend much of his days came up and spoke. He was steady, calm, eloquent, simply nothing even close to the stereotype that we've all imagined a cancer patient would appear to be. He describe briskly about their days together doing Chemo, the countless blood testing and hoping all that will be over and that they can live that normal life they used to know. He then questioned why he was let to live and not Lownell, not knowing the answer. He then defended that he was not asking for simpathy on the late Lownell's behalf, instead to be an encouragement for the rest of us who are living this difficult journey of life, to be right with God and truly bless every waking days we are alive. For we know very little if it is our last. At the end of the speech, I now understood in a very new and powerful conviction, what a fighter he was. I was told that he was the only surviving person in the ward he, Lownell and the rest of their late friends were in. At that moment, I was reminded of what death is. In fact, I was reminded of being a believer, a Christian, and why I became one. It was hope. Hope that out of all the beautiful joy and sickening nonsenses I've gone through being alive would be worth it, and when I die it aint too bad coz there really is something to look for to. Why? Death without the assurance from Jesus is truly the hopeless end that we are tying to distract ourselves from, through endless materialism and entertainment. Good bye Lownel, rest in peace.