I just got back from the funeral of a little girl named Kavya in the neighbourhood today. She was only 10 years old. She died in a car accident the day before. Her parents and her little brother who were with her in the car never got to say goodbye to her. They were in hospital with compound fractures to different parts of their bodies, injuries that will require surgery and a long recuperation.
It seemed so unreal. I used to see Kavya occasionally when I passed by their house. Theirs was a happy family and Kavya and her little brother were the light of their parents' eyes. As I set eyes on Kavya, at rest in the coffin, I felt cold and numb. I kept thinking - would Kavya's parents ever come to terms with this loss ?
How do parents make peace with the reality that their family is now without their child. A child who lit up their days with joy. The grandmother who was beside herself with grief kept stroking Kavya's still cheek asking her to wake up so she could hug her.
Life can change so cruelly in one instant. I realised how precious every moment is with ones we love, how precious each moment is that we spend on this earth. Each one of us has only so much time in which to leave a footprint that tells others we were here. A footprint that tells its own story of love, of anger, of happiness, of pain, of hope, of despair.........
Hate, revenge, jealousy, negativity become so inconsequential when gauged in this context of time. Today, more than ever before, I acknowledge how important it is for me to say my goodbyes with love in my heart because it could be the last time I do so.
Anna Maria Braga puts it beautifully - If People Convinced Themselves that Today is the Most Important of Days, They Would Have a Greater Chance of Being Happy.
Not only do these kinds of incidents send chill down my spine but also keep reminding to be thankful to my creator and protector for every single day that my life goes by uneventfully or happily.
ReplyDeleteI suppose we have to use every opportunity to tell our folks how much they mean to us. At the cost of sounding cheesy, I have started doing that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel terrible about this little girl. May her little soul rest in peace and I hope her parents find the strength to overcome this loss.
The loss of a child however small she may be, just cannot be overcome. The loss of our first born just 3 days after birth, still comes to my mind time & again after 45 years. To lose a grownup child must be even sadder & I don't think the loss will ever be overcome though it will become a little dull with the passage of time.
ReplyDeleteMay Kavya's soul rest in eternal peace & may Almighty give Kavya's parents, her brother, grandmother & all her near & dear ones the strength & courage to bear this sad loss.