Forever in our hearts and memory ...

The dead never really leave us - physically, yes. They are no longer with us. Emotionally - we are still attach to them.  We still think of them with sadness, happiness, longing .... they still live in our hearts. We never really let them go. Every race whether as a religious celebration or culture - they celebrated a day for remembering and honouring the dead. The Christians have their All Souls' Day, the Buddhists have their Cheng Beng festival. The Hindus have them too. As for Muslims, it is always a must, if not an obligation, to visit the dead on the eve of Hari Raya Puasa.

As for me, I never wait for any festival. I visit my dead parents' graves whenever I have the opportunity or when I am back in Melaka. Moreover, I love the Peringgit cemetery, situated at my old hometown. I went there the last weekend I went back to Melaka early morning about 7:00am. It was very cooling, refreshing and of course, tranquil. Quiet and serene with a dignity and "life" of its own. I sat among the many tombstones reciting Al-Fatihah for all the departed souls. I sat between my parents' graves and recited the surah Yaasin for them. Then, I slowly and quietly pulled out the weeds and just talked to them. The far away voices from Masjid Al-Azim filtered through the quiet cemetery. In the silence of a Sunday morning, being a weekend, I felt belong and "home" among them. It set me wondering where I would end up one day. It is said that we would end up where our earth was taken from. The last rites were - from dust to dust ... from earth we come, to earth we return ....  hmmm ... food for thought  :-}

Mak, on the left and Bapak.