I got a phone call, and my aunt was crying as she delivered the news "Your uncle... he's gone..."
A heavy, heavy feeling flooded my heart... I did not have the chance to speak to him or see him recently, and my mind kept on returning to that day last year when I last saw him, when I promised I would go see him again...
He was such a kind and gentle man, always so understanding, such a simple man, who was a teacher, who never seemed to get angry or upset about anything. He ate very simply, bland, healthy home-made meals, woke up early every morning, exercised and did not have any 'bad' habits. Every so often, he would send my mum newspaper clippings of inspirational articles and write letters to her to encourage her. He's been doing that when my parents became estranged, and continued doing that as mum continued to fight cancer over the past few years.Yet cruel cancer found him too, and has now taken him away...
As a child, he always welcomed me into his home. I remember many evenings sitting in the living room and listening to him talk about history and the intricacies of Taiwanese culture and language. A couple of times, he took me to the rice-farming village where he grew up to experience and see life in the countryside. And I remember when I was younger, he would take me to a park near the railroads and accompany me as I watched in awe at the trains speeding by...
I know he was in the ICU for almost two weeks, as he caught a lung infection, and has been severely weakened by the latest chemo treatment. The other day, I was just thinking about visiting him on my planned bike trip soon. But now I can't even do that anymore...
"Take care of yourself," my aunt said amid tears and sobbing, "And tell your mother to take good care..."
Farewell, dear uncle...
May you finally find eternal peace and be liberated from all sorts of physical and mental pain and suffering...
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