We bid farewell to my uncle this week, this is the second death on my mother’s side this year and it’s taught me a few of things:
1. Death can be isolating and a death during Covid times is unnecessarily cruel. In fear of infecting each other, isolation happens more often than not. Goodbyes are riddled with guilt of - did I do enough?
2. Filial Piety and the roles we play as younger generations to honour our parents no matter the circumstances, how this is embedded so deeply in our culture that expectations and pressures often bring judgement.
3. Family is family, no matter what, we will always have each other. The bickering, the annoying stories, the rolling of the eyes every reunion dinner, we still do what we can- bc we are family. Even if we are continents and oceans apart, we are still united.
Reunion dinner will look a little different next year without a couple of uncles to add their commentary on the world.
You will both be missed, rest in peace.
