This morning, I attending a funeral and prayer session for my uncle who passed on last night. He was my wife's uncle to be specific. It's the second funeral this month within my extended family. Funerals kind of reminds me of the things I need to do, the legacy I need to leave for my family. The unpredictability of life reminds me of the balance I need to achieve in life.
Early this month, my own uncle died after 6 months of battle with pancreas cancer. Both men has lived good lives. They left behind a loving wife, grown up children and even grandchildren. No, they were no celebrities, but they have achieved great things and both has taught me some of life's lessons;
My own uncle passed on a week before the birth of my second daughter. He was a good man, strong beliefs and quite a disciplinarian. I have never seen him without a smile. He was a retired police officer. I remember seeing him in his uniform and the holstered pistol has always been my focus. I always pictured him in action like those in TJ Hooker series.
He retired from the police force in the early 90s. He was about 45 at that time, I think. Everyone was wondering what he would do next. He did something that no one in the family expected; he started building computers!
We came to his house one day, my cousin invited us to his room to play computer games. In the 90s, computers were still in the early stages. Not everyone can afford one. My dad asked my uncle how much he bought it for. He said he made it himself. He learnt by reading books he borrowed from the library! Since his price was more than reasonable, my dad ordered 2 sets from him. I remembered feeling rich having two computers at home. As word of mouth spread, my uncle had more orders.
As computer progresses, so did he. He made friends with retailers and suppliers, getting them to share their knowledge with him in building computers. I can tell that he was passionate about it. When he visited us, he will run through the computers to make sure things are working fine. I learned the function of 'Disk Defragmenting' from him.
He decided to stop dealing with computers after about 10 years because computers were getting more affordable and it almost didn't make sense to build your own. He joined the security industry. When I heard the news of his pancreas cancer, it was a shock to me. I thought he would be the last person in the family to ever get sick, considering his health consciousness and selective of the foods he eat. My aunt told me stories of how she and my cousins smuggled delicacies when he was out working. Alas, everyone has their time.
As I reflect on how he lived, I learnt the importance of learning. Knowledge is out there, we need to seek it. Be passionate and try different things. No one has to fit into my shoes. It is designed by me for me.
My wife's uncle was another sad story. He was supposed to get an operation done on his leg but doctors said that they could not do it due to his weak heart. Picture this, you need an operation that can save your live but you can't have the operation because of your weak heart. I asked myself if life can get any more stranger. Alas, things happen for a reason. Only HE knows what we know not.
As I reflect on those incident, he taught me the importance of health. One should take care of his body when he can so that his body can take care of him when he can't.
May His Blessings be upon them both...
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