The Vanity Of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 KJV;

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: [2] A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; [3] A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; [4] A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"

How long ago was it that I wrote about how fleeting life is? I know that death is inevitable. That doesn't make it any easier when it strikes. It doesn't make it any less painful, neither does it make it easier to accept. It hurts a lot more when it strikes one of the good ones. I hate to see the good soldiers fall while the enemy camp thrives.

I don't believe in accepting it as the hand of God either. God does no evil. Everything God does is good. Since last week Monday, it's remained abstract to me. It didn't become a dream I wouldn't be waking up from until Saturday. Writing has always helped me heal and because of that, I've turned to it again.

What can I say about this man? Yes, we were neighbors and also members of the same church and fellowship. He went a step further and became as close to family as people could without sharing blood. He revived my faith in the male gender. He was a loving husband and a doting father. He was a good man. I kept saying if a man like that could exist then there was still hope for men everywhere. His children, his beautiful children...they were the reasons I even knew him. I loved those boys from the very moment I set my eyes on them. Truth be told, I even coveted them a little.

It's so sad that they are now fatherless. I still wonder how they will get by without him. I just don't know how. They were too close. I think that's the part that touched me the most. Everytime I think about those kids I want to hug them. I finally went to see them and I broke into tears. They barely understood what happened. That's how young they are. A part of me thinks it will make it easier for them to cope with. Another part aches for what they've lost forever.

I still can't come to terms that we've lost this wonderful man that always had a kind word to say to everyone. The man that always had a ready smile to brighten a bleak day. The man that always jumped at a chance to help. This is a man that nobody has any bad thing to say about. A man that will be greatly missed. He joked with us and related with us without regard to age difference. Even my temperamental brother liked him. My sister couldn't help but weep when she heard about his sudden passing.

Say what you will; he might not have been a Nelson Mandela or a Martin Luther King Jr., but he was definitely a hero. A loving husband and a caring father wins the award of 'hero-ship' in my books. This serves as my own farewell because I cannot bring myself to sign his condolence register and I know I cannot bear to go to his funeral.

After reading this, please do me a favor and hold a minute of silence on his behalf. Pray that he makes heaven. Pray that God keeps and blesses the family he left behind. Pray that we learn to deal with his loss and stop seeing him in the little gestures of others. Or hearing him through certain phrases.

Adieu good sir...you ran your race well and you've been a delight to know.

Rest In Peace...

Our dearest Mr. Kolawole Bankole (daddy meta)

Ecclesiastes 12:7-8 KJV;

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. [8] Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity."