Good People Die Young

Good People Die Young
It's my morning ritual to do this. Read the newspaper and sip my coffee at the coffeeshop on a weekend morning.
One of the pages I must visit is the Obituaries page.
Sometimes I encounter familiar faces, friends from my past.
Sometimes there are young faces. These are lives that have barely experience the full spectrum of the early experience.
And sometimes they tell a story.

There was a sad story of a lady who died cos she was denied a live organ transplant by a donor. Before she died, she asked for justice to be served. Shortly, a few months, the mother died and then another sister. Probably they died from a broken heart.

Today I saw the familiar face of Simon Yap Chee Seng who departed 9 years ago.
I knew him some 35 years ago when we were in Bartley Secondary School. He was the headmaster, the leader of the band (brass band). He was the big brother to the Christians in YFC (Youth for Christ). He was handsome and bright. His star was shining bright. He was destined for greatness. He rose in rank in the SAF. He was groomed to be the elite. He was a man's man. He was everything a person could be.
Like fireworks, his light went off suddenly and plunge the world into darkness.
For those whose lives are interwined with him, the void in their heart is always there. Lives is just not the same without him.

Here's what his loved ones penned in the paper:

"Neither time nor circumstances,
neither things of now nor of future
will dim our memory of you"

Simon, I know you are watching over us. Thanks for memories.

Today, I want to recall the wonderful people who have cross over to the other side of the world.

I want to remember Brother Foo, a member of TRL Toastmasters Club. He was a vegetarian. He exercised regularly. In the club, he was an encourager. During the
table topic sessions (impromptu speaking), he would always be the first to volunteer.
One day when he was diagnosed with cancer, he didn't want to trouble us. He suffered quietly. When we realised what happened to him, we didn't have a chance to say our last words. As we laid our eyes on his body on the casket, I asked why is cancer so blind to take away a good man.

My friend remembers Patricia. She was murdered. She was a good person, creative, and cheerful. She was the sunshine girl. She brightened every depression, she brought light to the darkness of their soul. She brought the dead spirits to life. She was the optimist, the bubbly one. She was the girl that everyone love. But the evil one plunged the bloody dagger... and left many to mourn the loss.

My friend wanted to write a book in her remembrance. Yes, I encouraged her to write a book even if no one is going to read it. I'm sure Patricia would be proud. Patricia lives in the memory of her loved ones.

And of course, there are many more people I want to pay tribute...my eldest sister Annie, my grandma.

I wonder, if someday my photo appears on the Obituaries page, what would it say about me? It's a matter of time, every single one of us will have a chance to appear on the Obituaries page.

What would it say about you, my friend?