Sunday Newscape Magazine

This was a hard week for me. To lose someone you know to death is hard enough, but to lose three people in two weeks put my emotions to the test. I would like to dedicate this column to one of them.

He was a lost soul here on earth, but now in heaven he is welcomed with open arms. He was a hard working man, a veteran, father of many children, and my dad.

To be honest, I did not really know him. My parents divorced when I was still very young and I have little memory of those Sunday visits. As I grew older, I realized something was very wrong. No one really explained what his condition was, but it became apparent to me that mental illness consumed him.  Unfortunately, because of his illness, my dad became a danger to society and was institutionalized. That was over twenty years ago.

These past twenty years my oldest brother Albert always kept in touch with him. I have always felt the highest respect for my brother, even though we didn’t, and still don’t see each other much. He was the only one there for our father.

The day my brother found out about our fathers death was the day of his funeral. He called me immediately and I had only a few hours to dress and drive fifty miles for the service. When I arrived that stormy day I entered a large funeral home and thought I was in the wrong place because there were only about seven people milling about. I walked into this large room with an open casket placed near the center. As I approached, I did not even recognize this person. The years wore away the person I once knew, before me was a stranger.

In the corner of my eye I noticed my brother approaching me. We embraced for a moment and feeling his wet cheek against mine, I thanked him for calling me. This was the first time I ever saw my brother show emotion and I hugged tightly. At this point we knew it was time to leave and put our father to rest.

The ride to the cemetery was a short one. As we pulled in, I noticed more people. Apparently, they heard the news and were waiting patiently for our arrival. The crowd was about twenty-five, which included my mother who put aside her differences to be there for him. It was a nice site to see on this stormy day.

What made this day special for me was that I had the opportunity to help carry his casket. Just as he held me at birth, I helped put him to rest. I knew he was finally at peace.

“Rest in peace dad, you are not a forgotten soul anymore”