A passage to the Great Beyond

In passing of passage

I woke up this morning to the news that an old friend of ours from the distant past of our school days in the 1980s had passed on earlier this morning. For someone who is generally not absent of words or expression to address any occasion, I found myself speechless and lacking in any inspiration of how to convey my sympathies.

Obviously, I am very saddened by this news, he as an artist and creative belonged to the set of friends I made in school that I have maintained some sort of connection with, usually bolstered by relations with whom I have shared the same school experience.

The ties that bound

Academically, it was probably one of the most accomplished of his peers just as many significant relationships in his life had been greeted with adversity and tragedy. It was out of the blue that I got a call from him, a few years ago, it was a good conversation of reminiscing with this soft-spoken demeanour. We always called him by his surname, if ever, we could remember his first name, at all.

I am aware through my relations that when they communicated with him, he always asked after me. In many ways, I have been blessed by people and many I have lost contact with that keep me in mind, in consideration, and in prayer, I am grateful for the encounters that brought us together.

A circle in shrinkage

As I do not make friends that easily and have by circumstance found myself with a finite circle of friends and acquaintances, the loss of anyone is great and impactful. It also brings to the fore our fleeting existence, the shortness of time in life we have to be consequential to ourselves and others, the ways in which we might be remembered and what legacy we leave behind.

I recognise that I have not been close enough to him to pick up the phone to condole his survivors, I hope to find that expression through others who maintained communication through the times until the end. In my heart and in my soul, I bless his memory, may his gentle soul rest in peace, and may God give strength, fortitude, and consolation to his survivors through this difficult time. God have mercy on us all. Amen!