Dying

Yesterday I was told that a teacher from SMK Tun Sardon passed away and it got me thinking about death. After all, I am almost 60 years old.

Something that I read….

When you have to act in a play or perform in a concert, you spend many hours rehearsing or practicing beforehand. If you stumble or forget your lines, you have another chance – dozens more chances. That is what rehearsals are all about.

However when the curtain goes up and those rows of empty chairs are full of people, you have no more chances to practice. Now your performance is for real, in full view of the public. The show must go on.

Dying is like that.

Your life is like the rehearsals. When you stumble, you have another chance to make good. You are given many chances but when the curtain of your body is withdrawn and you are left face to face with GOD, there will be no more rehearsals to go back to. You cannot go back to the beginning and start again!

That’s why the late Fr. Simon (my former parish priest) used to say, “ Live every day as if it were the last day of your life.”

Fr. Lawrence (the present parish priest) said, “ Before we die the big death, let us die many little deaths first:

Death of pride, Death of covetousness, Death of impurity, Death of insincerity, Death of anger, Death of injustice, Death of worship of false gods, etc….”

As for me, I pray for many more years of ‘rehearsals’.

A Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on opposite ends of a pole, which he bore across his neck. One of the pots had a small crack in it. The other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water from the stream to the master’s house. The cracked pot always arrived half full. This went on for many years, with the water bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection. One day, it spoke to the water bearer while he was collecting water by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the water bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“Because of my crack, water leaks out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaw, you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot replied.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot. In his compassion, he said. “ As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot saw beautiful wild flowers dancing merrily in the sun.

The water bearer then said to the cracked pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known of your flaw , and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the master’s table. Without you just the way you are, he would not have beauty to grace his house.”


Beautiful story, eh?
Actually, all of us are cracked pots, each with our own flaws. But that does not mean we should be ashamed of them. We acknowledge our flaws, our imperfections. We tell ourselves that despite our imperfections, God has a plan for us. All of us have our roles in making the world a beautiful place to live in.

Cheers!