It seems, I am confronted with the end of life quite a lot at the moment. After the experience of my father’s passing, death has become so much more real to me. It is a part of my life now. Not just in the pain of loosing my father. Actually, I think I might have written about him more than once on this blog. Recently in, “When Family Becomes So Much More Than Blood”.

I see death much more after experiencing the pain myself. It always makes me think, how I don’t believe God created us as human beings meant to live only this one life. I believe fully that God created us for eternity, and the inconvenience and the uncomfortable feeling it gives me. Death and the feelings surrounding it always makes me confirm this very statement in my own worldview. It always makes me think about how I don’t envy those that do not believe in an afterlife and in God. This might seem weird to you, but it is the reality for me.

A recent visit to my Grandparents in Jutland, Denmark, made me think about it again. That ambivalente feeling of hoping for the best for them. Hoping and praying for healing. Confirming that I believe I am to see them again when death do catch up on them. To some such a conversation seems morbid. Life should be enjoyed now, we should think about death the moment it comes – if possible not at all. But for me, when I see life running out in the eyes of the people I love, I need to talk about it. I need to pray about the feeling of wanting to hold on to everyone around me. The feeling of slowly being left alone in this big world. The feeling of wanting to put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes, and hum loudly to myself, in order to avoid the scene in front of me, because it is just too painfull. In this case, I cannot avoid the fact that time is running fast. And for some, time is running out. Not just for all the celebrities that in 2016 lost their lives. Or for all the poor people in the world that is loosing their lives because of conflicts, war, and terror. Also for common people I know and love. For once I cannot solve and go through this feeling I have in my gut without confronting it. Accepting it. That prayer I pray in the dark of night when I wake up suddenly. “Please God, watch over the people I love! Oh, and by the way, please watch over my teeth as well” (The last bid may seem a bit odd, but that is actually what I pray when I wake up suddenly at night. For the Grandparents and my very expensive teeth-implants… Not that these two things are in any way comparable, but I honestly do not want to go through surgery again).

I think death is something we need to face. I think it is something we need to talk about. And I believe that, saying “I love you” to each other should be said and acted upon sooner rather than later. Because one day it is too late. One day time has run out, and you might stand back forever thinking, “I hope he/she knew I loved him/her”.

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Previously, when I was down and blue or just needed a word of advice or comfort. No matter the time of the day, I could always call my dad. He would always pick up the phone. And the few times he didn’t I respected that. We would discuss life, argue about different episodes I needed a second opinion on, philosophise about the next step I should take in a given situation. He was my mentor in life. Despite the fact that I did not always agree, I highly appreciated his opinion. I knew I could always find comfort and help with him. No matter the circumstance. No matter the place in the world. He would be there for me and my siblings. He would drive to the far ends of Denmark if that’s what we needed. That is how I grew up. That is my legacy.

Soon it will be  4 years since he died on a trip to Egypt with my brother. And in these four years I have struggled to find a foundation on which to stand. It felt like parts of it was crumpling away and I suddenly only had half of what I used to believe in. In these 4 years my mother has stepped in and helped us all in the best way she could. But it doesn’t take away the fact that Dad had had a great influence on me and my siblings.

Thus, when my brother writes me at 2 am in the morning I respond, if I am awake and not in a bad mood because he woke me up.  Overall, I’d like to think that my family can call me whenever. Wherever and I will respond. Because, that’s what you do. That’s what dad did. If I asked my sister to drive to a particular part of the country because of some reason: she’d ask when. If I needed my brother to help me move or anything else, he’d grab his things and meet me almost immediately. That’s how we are. That’s who we are. That’s how we grew up.

Despite my father’s memory is in our hearts and not physical in this world any more, the legacy of how me and my siblings understand family is burning through every social relation we make in the world.

Just a little philosophical thoughts on this grey Monday, for you all.

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Life seems so fragile,
humans so small.
When giving the world a smile
Seems like the greatest task of all.

In such a moment,
In such a time.
When life seems to run,
through our fingers like sand.
Let’s rejoice the little time we had,
and remember all the great and wonderful,
women and men who have,
or are about too fall.

 

If you want to read the first poem I did, you can read ‘As I Walk Through Life’

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