by Amanda Ines

Created on: April 05, 2010

What I am about to recount are the details of a very moving and beautiful funeral, because yes, funerals and farewells can be beautiful too.

It was that of a man who had been suffering from AIDS for over twenty years but despite his horrible illness he was more or less able to lead a normal life during his last years with his two daughters where there existed a great bond of love between the three of them. He had lost his wife to cancer quite some years back and since then had had 4 different girl friends - so one could confidently assume that he still enjoyed life even though he did tire much quicker than a healthy man of his age and had to have a rest in the afternoon and not be able to stay out too late at night.

His real passion in life was the sea and his sailing boat and the number of people that he taught his wisdom to were countless. Everyone called him the 'calm sailor' as everything was done with a slow and calm grace. Understanding the sea and always predicting what it would do before it actually did it gave him a confidence that not many others ended up achieving.

But unfortunately during the past twelve months his health began to take an even more downward turn than usual with him first contracting hepatitis, which he just about managed to get over only to come down, very soon after, with pneumonia which in the end was just too much for his now frail and thin body to handle and was the final cause of his death.

So sad for such a charming man who was only in his mid fifties and such a teacher of the sea to leave this world so soon when he could have taught still a whole lot more up coming sea-men and above all his two year old grand-son when he got older. But all of this he will do from his now special world sending down all his strength and wisdom to his left behind loved ones down here on earth.

There was a simple mass said for him where all his family, friends and sea men attended and then soon after his body was incinerated and the ashes that remained of him placed into a simple urn.

The next day was a Sunday and one of his pupils who he had taught from scratch and who in the end, with the knowledge gained, had crossed the Atlantic four times, prepared his own 60 foot yacht to carry everyone out to sea. The family, friends, sailors and of course the urn with the ashes.

It was one of those beautiful days that suddenly emerges after a long hard winter of constant torrential rains and wind. There were blue skies with the sun beaming down and

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>