[Short excerpt from a letter emailed summer of 2006, when I was away. I had forwarded Belinda Olivares-Cunanan’s column, which had reprinted a section of a homily on Fr. Delaney by the late Fr. Ortiz. I was aware how fg had felt about Fr. Delaney, even writing a short story about his acquaintance with the latter. fg had replied lengthily, concluding with:]
Now, at close to 69 and almost 20 years senior to Fr. Delaney at the time of his death, I am not much somewhere far from where he’d left me off. Perhaps, a former student or so of mine may pay me homage at my funeral. Perhaps, my kids will utter a bit of praise and bend their heads in momentary grief. But homily isn’t anything I expect to be paid or said in my behalf. I don’t deserve it, and I’ll be vain and giggling to expect it. There’s a serious time when one mustn’t take himself seriously.
It’s nice for one to leave like air, whose effects are but flutters through leaves and whips of breeze above the green face of the earth and waters. There’s no more cognizance of him, during his simple return to the elements. His presence then seems to have not disturbed the harmony and process of the universe.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
‘…in momentary grief…’ certainly does no justice to how we feel right now. Leave it to Dad to underestimate his own worth and impact to a lot of people…
February 26th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Den was always doing that, keeping the lowest possible profile and speaking of himself likewise. However, occasionally the spirit would move him to say that if ever and whenever he passed away, I would see for myself how highly he was held in esteem by people, not just his immediate family, but his students esp.