Burying The Brother Of A Friend
Tomorrow we bury the brother of a close friend, George. As is often the case in these circumstances, I never got to know Emmanuel as well as I could have, and now it’s too late.
What I do know is that he had a gentle and jolly soul – he never hurt or caused anyone trouble. Such a good person did not deserve to die so suddenly and so tragically. At the age of 41 he had a massive heart attack while at work – away from friends and family. I can only imagine his last moments must have been filled with fear and panic as to what was happening to his body. No one deserves to die so horribly scared – I just hope his suffering didn’t last long and he found peace soon after the attack.
In addition to this tragedy is the tragedy of his family. His father only died a few years ago and both brothers had been sick, experiencing medical complications most of their lives. I’ve often thought, though there is a lot of misery in the world, it is not evenly distributed. There are some who go through life almost charmed and there are others, like these boys (and their parents), who bear an uneven level of suffering compared to the rest of the population.
Emmanuel is survived by his mother and brother George, as well as numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.
“Eternal be, his memory”…
“Emmanuel was, is and will always be a brother in Christ”…