Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary
Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves
traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single
father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old
perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds
of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world.
Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given
him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or
being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left
him with some food for thoughts in life….. or a fodder to justify his own
mistakes in the past.
Episode # 94. Their own ways to say goodbye
When I was on a short trip to Ireland for the
international conference of psychiatry, I happened to pay a visit to a funeral.
It was the traditional Irish Wake for my friend’s father, Mr. Thompson
who passed after 5 tormenting years of struggling with dementia. Contrary to my
own belief or feelings about “loss of loved ones” that I felt when I lost my wife
Demi, this funeral was like a very last celebration of the deceased in the most
special way, which was not too saddened, nor too upbeat. Some of the visitors
were quietly humming a tune with my friend’s relatives, which seemed as if they
would ginger up the dark mood of the funeral. Some others were busy
checking with all the wall clocks if they were properly stopped and also made
sure to open windows, and place coverings over every mirror in the place. What most
of the visitors did was to share beautiful memories they had with Mr. Thompson and
never forgot to laud him in every possible way. One thing funny though
was that a couple of friends of Mr. Thompson’s jokingly complained about the spats
they had with their late buddy long time ago. One of them said “He habitually
borrowed my bloody money, but never paid it back. Welp, but it is what it is.
We all failed in metamorphosing that bloody guy.”
It was such a selcouth scenery to me, but felt way
better and more meaningful than a spurious, flashy funeral where not
everyone had a chance or a moment to reconnect with the deceased through walking
down the memory lane with him from the bottom of their hearts. Mrs. Thompson
was offering home-baked chocolate chip cookies to all visitors there and
getting ready to read her own piece of poem dedicated to her husband. As I was leaving
the funeral, Demi, my beloved wife came to my mind with her shiny smile for the
very first time since she left me for Heaven.
Dear my darling husband Luke
Thompson,
Life with you had always been
like a rainbow of frondescence.
I would say my heart was always
brimming with pride, being your closest soul yesterday and tomorrow.
Me being here alone today cannot
make a bubbly picture, but rather quiescence.
I know you’d never like it if I
became withdrawn deep into a black hole of sorrow.
Just like your sweet smile that
was always there to ensorcell,
I will keep sharing my morning
kiss with you in this picture.
My dining room will be filled
with the aroma of your favorite tea with caramel.
One thing only missing here will
be your boring daily lecture.
Expressions
1.
Irish Wake: The
Irish wake is a tradition associated with death and funerals yet surprisingly,
it is a kind of celebration.
2. to ginger
up someone: to make somebody/ something more exciting or
lively (=to jazz up/ juice up…)
3. to laud
someone: to praise or extol someone
4. spat:
a
short argument/ bickering about something that is not important
5.
It is what it is: an
expression used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a
person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted
6.
to metamorphose somebody/something: to
change the form or nature of; transform
7. selcouth:
strange;
uncommon
8. spurious:
not
genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source;
counterfeit
9. frondescence:
leafage/
foliage
10. quiescence: quietness
or stillness; inactivity or dormancy
11. to ensorcell someone: to bewitch someone
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