Sunday, May 18, 2008 Surviving death in the family By Ana Desamparado
LIFE is indeed short. After 19 years of existence, my batchmate, Rovie Jean Mahusay, died of brain tumor. Rovie was a simple and jolly person. She had an aura that gave joy to your day. Her smiles, her simplicity, her joy – all we had left of her are memories when she was still with us.
Before she died, text messages were circulated informing people about her condition. I wasn’t able to visit her because of my busy schedule in school. The next text message was that she already died.
I was one of the first people to visit her already dead. I talked to her father. I could see in his eyes the suffering from losing a daughter. His words spoke of how hard he fought to save his daughter.
During our conversation, he mentioned something about God. He questioned why He gave Rovie such illness despite the fact that his family was deeply religious. He and his wife were members of Couples of Christ.
The family prayed the Rosary together all throughout the ordeal. I tried to tell him blaming God wouldn’t help ease the pain. But I could tell that his suffering was so great that I was left with no choice but to listen. I could feel that he was starting to doubt his faith in God. I realized I couldn’t blame him. He was still trying to make sense of it all.
I realized it’s normal to sometimes doubt God’s goodness, but this doubt must not completely ruin one’s relationship with God. I believe everything happens for a reason and that God took Rovie from her family and friends so she could be with Him. There’s a reason for this, although we don’t know it yet. Someday we will discover.
And so, I pray for the soul of Rovie Jan Mahusay, that she may rest in eternal peace with God; and for all of us left behind, that we will be strong in accepting God’s Will.
