Four days back my eldest aunt passed away. When I first heard the news, I was totally shocked. What does the passing of my Aunt have to teach me and others? Read on to find out.
My aunt was a lady who was always immaculate about her get up home and outdoors. She would keep her home spick and span with the help of maids. She would eat in small portions four or five times a day. In fact, she was in excellent health.
The day of her passing away, she was suffering from low pressure but she didn’t realize it. When she wouldn’t recover, she was taken to the hospital by her neighbor daughter and after three hours, she was pronounced dead.
My eldest aunt has been haunting me ever since. The kind words she spoke to me and the good behavior from her over phone about 2 months ago felt very spooky now. She was in excellent health going on a tour in the subcontinent. That was the reason for her call. She would be away. The kind words she said were, “You are very sweet, Rosina”.
I don’t know what made her say that. She wanted to say more but she didn’t continue as she choked up. She was in her seventies and she got emotional without much reason. I couldn’t figure out what was bothering her – yet I know she was concerned about us not meeting for 2 months. Her special words to me are ringing all over my ears and I feel extremely guilty.
My Ma and brother had been to her place and consoled her near and dear ones. My brother had also been to where she was laid beneath the earth – in fact her grave. And I was pretty surprised to hear that when all the digging and covering of her grave with earth and prayers were performed, everybody had left but my brother stayed by the grave crying. He was never close to my eldest aunt. Why was he so full of grief? Did he remember our Dad whom he lost at six years of age?
Whatever the reason, this lady was a figure of importance among our relatives. All the youngsters in our families including the elderly heeded her timely advice all along. And now there will be an empty space left behind because there is no one to replace her. She was that extraordinary.
Everybody in our family got affected in some way or the other, and the pressure of grief and sorrow for my aunt’s passing was a little bit more than other life’s challenges.
However, life doesn’t stay still. I know it is a temporary phase. We all will get up and move on. We ourselves will be here on planet earth for a short while. So we should make the most of our time enjoyably, doing what we love to do while we are still here. Our aunt’s demise brings us this message even more boldly.
Hopefully, she rests well in heavenly paradise (we call it Jannat in Bengali). May she be exempted from all sins and all we can do now is pray for the salvation of her departed soul. I repeat here, may Allah, the Almighty grant her Jannat.
