My sisters and I with Nimrod on a skyped conferencing
We made a banner to wish my brother Rommel to get well soon.
Us before a table full of festive food
New Year! Will I Be Seeing Ghosts? This was one entry in my journal over two decades ago. There was nothing unusual having asked such a question. I was young—not certain of whether I was in the right place, doing the right thing at the right time. I had a good job and establishing a career and yet I felt something was still wrong.
2012. I did not wonder whether I would be seeing ghosts. I think I have reached the stage of my life where I have learned to live one day at a time and technically by the grace of God,not worry about tomorrow. By the same token, I have also strived to live today the best way I possibly can. I have always recalled to my mind what I memorised when I was a youth...Today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of home.
Few days before 2012 came, I got a bad news from the USA. My brother, Rommel was in the ICU. The week before, I also got a call from my other brother, Nimrod, asking me and the rest of the family to pray for his vision. The doctors at the Eye Centre diagnosed him with Macular Degeneration.
Merle, my sister asked then, if we would have a New Year’s Celebration? I was not the only one who would decide, we are a family. New Year’s Eve of 2009, my father was in admitted in the Cardiac Unit of Blacktown Hospital. We did not celebrate that New Year, but only did, when we knew he was out of danger (Five months later though, we lost him because he had a massive cardiac arrest).
Surprised bombshells, so to speak, are not new to us. We are accustomed to them. By the grace of God, we managed not be totally caught off guard. Over the years, we, as Christians, have learned to accept and also considered it joy when we have these trials, problems, or challenges in our life as family. As grievous as these are at the present time, these have taught us through the years to love, care and bear each other’s burdens.
We did have a New Year's celebration. Before us was a table full of festive foods and colours were everywhere around us and in us. This time, however, our top priority for gathering was to have a special praying time for our brothers who are sick. It was good the occassion was rather exclusively for our family. We also skyped Nimrod.
At the time of writing, Rommel is back home. Thank God! Nimrod's diagnosis at the first instance was erroneous, but still needs to be regularly checked. The last time we spoke to him on the phone, he said the dimming of his vision seemed not be deteriorating any further. Praise the Lord!
What does 2012 holds for me or for the members of the family I have always belonged to? I would not have any clue. There may be prospective, unforseen, expected ghosts that may pull me or all of us down to the waters as a family. Just like Peter, however, each of us just have to cry out, “Lord, save me...”And Jesus will always be there to come to our rescue. He will always there to pull as out of the waters when we fix our gaze away from Him. What a Saviour! He promised to be there with us always—even to the end of this age.
