Monday, December 18, 2006

This is sad...

I posted my poem here yesterday and was sitting with my mom just relaxing when we got a phone call. My mothers' younger brother passed away yesterday. He was two years younger than my mom. They were very close.

We had returned from Bangalore, my mom being so happy about my brother's new house there.( we had gone there for his housewarming.) Now this.

She was kind of unconsolable for a while. I called up my brothers. They kept her busy talking to her one after the other. When she talked, her sadness seemed to fall away. She recalled the good times with him. He had not been well lately. Infact he was in a lot of suffering and was in the ICU for the last one week. The doctor had said he might get well. But he did not. He was 69. He lived in Orissa. He died in Orissa. All his three sons were there with him.

He had had a major accident in 1980 when doctors had given up on him but he recovered fully. His sons were so small at that time. GOD gave him a new lease of life. He had done well for himself and his sons. But death is so final. I suddenly remembered my own dad. Not that I had forgotten him but I felt the sharp pain once again.

Mom will go to Orissa for the rituals that are done on 10th and 11th day. One of my brothers' will go with her. I know I shouldn't worry but I do.

This is life. Happiness and sadness go hand in hand. I SHOULD KNOW....


20 comments:

Anonymous said...

take care, gautami.

Russell Ragsdale said...

My heart goes out to you at this time. I hope all will be well with your mom.

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

My sympathies. Yes, amazing how life works. Hoping you are well, Gautami.

Romeo Morningwood said...

It is very hard to calibrate the totality of another person's life when they pass on.
We feel so conflicted about all of the I Love Yous that we missed and the silly squabbles that we sometimes let linger.
It always takes time to realise how lucky we were to have shared time with someone special...it is never enough.
I miss my Father every day but I have such great memories to compensate for his physical disappearance.
Give your Mom a big hug for me.

Lotus Reads said...

Ohhhh, Gautami, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope your mom finds strength and peace from her happy memories of times spent with her brother. The hardest thing in life is to bid someone you love goodbye for ever...I just shudder at the thought. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted, OK?

RamaDrama said...

Hope you and your mom are coping well..Good memories help...!

gautami tripathy said...

I will, dsnake1.

russell: Mom will be ok. I will see to it.

don: Yes, thanks. I am ok too.

homo escapeons:That is what is painful, isn't it? They pass on and we are only left with memories. End of it. Too painful to comprehend. Maybe that's why we close our mind at times.

I am richer for knowing my uncle. And my heart goes out for my mom.

All I have been doing is hugging her most of the times. She does not like it. Maybe she needs to be alone with her memories. She is missing dad too now more than ever. I feel inadequate to cope up.

I will hug her for you.

angel: thanks. I will make sure she is ok.

motorama: Well...mom needs time...I need to be strong for her.

Keshi said...

o Im so sorry to hear this Gautami. HUGGGGGGGGGGGGZ! It's really sad when someone so close dies. I know the feeling. My dad, my aunt, my granma...they all died and yeah death is so final. There's nothing after that...we can never see/talk to them again. How sad ha.


**He was 69

thats still very young. But I guess thats all he got on Earth. I believe that ppl come here with a given time limit. So yeah...he lived a good man and thats all that matters.

Give my love to ur Ma...she must miss him the most. Huggggggggz to u and ur Ma! I know nothing I say will ease ur pain now...so I'd just be here for ya Gautami.

Keshi.

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

I'm so sorry to see this. I hope everything goes well. For your mom and also for you.

tlchang said...

Hugs and good wishes from me as well. I'm so sorry. How lucky that he had another 25+ years-lease on life. It is always too short.

gP said...

my condolences to you gautami. U said it well...we are humans after all. But who am I to know how the family feels. Hope for the best then.

gautami tripathy said...

Thanks keshi,andrew,tlc and ghost.

Pat Paulk said...

Gautami, I am so sorry for you and your family. Knowing death is part of life, doesn't make the loss any easier. Take care.

Borut said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Borut said...

My sympathies Gautami. Now I understand your comment on my blog better.

Anonymous said...

Even though life has its ups and downs, like you said "you should know", that never takes away *feeling*. I ache for you, your mom, and family.
Take care

Margie said...

I am so sorry to hear this Gautami!
Take care!
Hope your mom is ok!
Hugs to you and your mom!

Margie

gautami tripathy said...

pat, borut, gel and margie, thanks. I appreciate your concern. I don't feel I am alone. Mom is ok, so am I.

Lotus Reads said...

So glad to know your mom is better now, Gautami. Is she back from Orissa?

gautami tripathy said...

Angel, she is yet to go. She will go for the 11th and 12th day. She goes next week.

Thanks for your concern.