Granddad’s Death Reconnected Our Family After 15 Years Apart.

The death of my grandfather came as a great loss to our family. He was such a kind, wise, and loving man who held the family together in the past. Sadly, for about 15 years, many members of our family had been separated from each other. Some lived in different cities like my Dad who is a civil service, due to the nature of his work, we always relocate from one city to another. Some drifted apart due to lack of communication.

We rarely spoke, visited, or came together like we used to when Granddad was alive and strong. But his death brought some changes to our family.

The news of Granddad’s death brought everyone back home. People traveled from far and near to attend his burial. I saw family members I had not seen in years. My cousins, whom I last met when we were little, were now grown up. Some of them even had children of their own.

I also met uncles and aunties I had never met before. It was so strange to me seeing that I have much family members but I've never met them,but I was happy. Though the reason we gathered was sad, we came for granddad burial, but seeing all these faces again brought back so many memories.

During the burial, we all felt the weight of our loss. Granddad was not just an old man, he was the pillar of our family. He cared for everyone, his children and grandchildren, he gave advice, and made sure we remained close.

Losing him hurt us deeply, but it also made us realize how far apart we had grown from each other. In that moment of sorrow, we saw the importance of family again.
After the burial ceremony, instead of everyone rushing back to their busy lives, we stayed behind. We came together not just to mourn, but to reconnect. We sat down as a family and talked.

Everyone introduced themselves again because some of us had forgotten names and faces. We shared stories about Granddad, how he use to behind, how he talks and how is use to scold us when we do something wrong, we laughed at the funny moments and at the same time cried when we remembered the good times.

We cooked together, ate together, and even took family photos. It was like we were trying to make up for the lost years. My cousins and I spent time talking about our lives, our achievement so far, those who have gone to school and have rounded up, those who are still in school, those who are working and others who are married now and our childhood memories.

The uncles and aunties talked about the past, the things that had caused separation, and how we could fix it going forward. It was an honest and open time.

At the end of everything, we realized that no matter how busy we get or how far apart we live, we must stay connected. We decided to start a family group chat where we could all keep in touch. We even planned a yearly family gathering to make sure we don’t grow distant again.

I believe Granddad, even in death, gave us one last gift which is unity. His passing away brought us all together and helped us remember what truly matters. He may be gone, but the love and lessons he left behind are helping us stay together. And for that, we are forever grateful.