A Long Promised Note
We hardly knew Neal except for the occasional “hi” and “Kamusta” in the parking lot and elevator of Park Place. We also sometimes ran into him around downtown Cincinnati. We knew him as the only other Filipino living in Park Place and that was all it took for us to say he is special.
We knew that he was an ER doctor, looking very free spirited with his convertible and was always smiling…who wouldn’t? Life is good. Living in Park Place is great. Nice car. Single. A good profession. He had a whole life ahead of him.
We were so shocked when we got the news of his passing. Immediately, the thought that ran into our minds is life is fragile. Life as we know it could change in an instant…and without any warning, without us doing anything wrong. And the tough part is that there’s nothing we can do to put it back where it was…even how it was one minute ago!
The fragility of life became more pronounced for us as we just came face-to-face with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease for the first time in our lives when we heard about Neal. We were moving Benedict’s dad to a nursing home and all that he could take/need is one week worth of clothing…most of which were pajamas. It really made us think about what is truly important in life. All the material things that we accumulate mean nothing at the end of life’s journey. All you have is your naked self in front of our Creator.
Neal will never know that even just the news of his passing to another life had a major impact in our lives. But that’s okay. We are still grateful that he came our way. It’s just like the saints who influenced millions of people unknown to them even centuries after they passed away. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote a diary that has changed the lives of many including our very own. St. Therese will never know us (at least in our earthly life) …just like Neal. We are, however, forever grateful for what they have shown us in their lifetime. They lived short but meaningful lives.
We have taken a faith journey after we left Park Place. In a way, we came and left Park Place at the same time. We both came with a lot of excitement. And, I would like to think that we both left to be with our Creator.
So, to our special Filipino neighbor, Neal…see you in the next life. In case you see Jesus, say hi for us! We’ll do the same for you…we’ll smile and say hi to people we meet along the way…we’ll bring to them the spirit of jolly Neal.
Kudos to a life well lived!
Benedict and Grace Lenon
