This year's All Souls Day, I lit my candles for those dearly departed - those who had contributed to my life one way or the other. I commemorate my late dad - to me, a dad like no other! Dad taught me honesty and humility, the evil of corruption and bribery, and to respect the young and old, the poor and the rich, and that respect begets respect. Throughout my career, I reminded myself of these things in order that I could sleep well at night. When dad was working as an officer with my country's government department in charge of overseeing and managing the country's land, he could have made himself rich with the many opportunities to accept bribes from those desperate for land to develop, but he chose to hold fast and firm to his principle of honesty and personal integrity. He was proud of his inner strength and he often reminded his children that he would rather be poor than be dishonest, and that accepting bribery is akin to stealing from the public coffer.
My granddad, from my mum's side (maternal grandfather), though small in stature, was such a 'big' man in personality and integrity. He was knowledgable in his community in his days, and was often looked up unto, for advice and as source of reference pertaining to our community's traditions and cultural practices and law. He was prudent in his ways, soft spoken and he demonstrated patience towards the antics of his contemporaries as well as the younger generations. He was passionate about his love for his people and was proud of his race. I learned a great deal from my granddad. I had the opportunity to hear first hand from him the stories, legends and mythologies of my people when I was still very young. He taught me that life should be a never ending quest for knowledge, which is not limited just to classroom academics. And the most precious advice he gave me was to go out and travel to rest of the world when ever I have the means and the chance to do so, in order to broaden my knowledge, experience and insights. I loved this granddad of mine with all my heart, and he breathed his last breath while his head was cradled in my hands at that government quarters back in Sri Aman town four days after the Harvest Festival in June 1980.
There are others who are part of my extended family, who have passed on and to whom I owe part of my life - those who played direct role in contributing to my upbringing and wellbeing - such as my maternal aunt and her husband, Uncle Sullang, my uncle from dad's side; my dad's late brothers Uncle Boniface and Uncle Richard Nelson who both helped to educate me in my high school; my biological grandfather who taught me about integrity as well as some of our native customs and laws.
To these people and to many others who have left their footprints on the shores of my heart, I pray to God Almighty, to continue blessing their souls, so that they may rest in eternal peace.
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| My Arabic lanterns are lit up with candles to commemorate my family's dearly departed |
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