Missing Dad "Ver" and sister "Karen"

2011 was the worst year of my life. We are a close knit, happy family. Then one day, my Dad complained of a stomach ache. My youngest sister, Karen, was so worried that she took Dad to the hospital that Monday morning. Come Saturday, he passed away from liver cirrhosis. I thought it could not get any worse. But then, ONE WEEK to the day, my Karen did not wake up from her sleep. The findings was, she had a heart attack. But I disagree. I believe Karen died of a broken heart. Karen was Daddy's little girl. I believed with my whole being that her purpose in life was to take care and serve my Dad. And she did what was above and beyond what was expected of her as a dutiful daughter. So then when my Dad was gone, her mission here on earth was done. The only thought that made it somewhat easier for us to accept their deaths, is that they are together and that they are happy. They're watching over us and when the time comes, they will both welcome us with open arms. We do believe that the chain that linked us is broken for now, but one day it will be linked again, never to be broken!

Losing them both suddenly and just within a week of each other, was very very painful, to say the least. I had no idea how the rest of our family could survive that, but thank God, we are surviving almost 4 years later. We're focusing on loving and caring for our Mom and each other. We talk about our Dad and sister often. We pray for them. We honor them in every which way we can. The important thing we learned is that, life goes on. We learned never to take things for granted, for you may see them one day but no assurance that they will be there the next. We learned that there's no easy fix. There's no one way to get over grief. It's very different for every family member. But in the end, if you hold on to your faith, and you lean on each other, you will slowly learn how to live without your relatives that passed away and yet never forgetting them, and loving them just the same.

Thank you for allowing me to share our story. My heart is a little lighter now, for i know that my Dad and Karen, has a hand in me writing this. Just remember that there are going to be bad days and not-so-bad days. But never ever lose hope that there will come a time that you will indeed see some beautiful days again....

          *** Marizel Layco Beck ***