Waleed J. Iskandar
(1967-2001)
"Wherever he was, that became the best place in the world to be"
"Bereavement is an integral part of the love of the lost one"
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A new friend sent me the following poem which I liked and wanted to include it in your journal. Thank you Della "Understanding" "I'll lend to you for a little time a child of mine He said: For you to love when he lives, And mourn when he's dead. It may be six or seven years, Or thirty-two or three: But will you, 'til I call him back, Take care of him for Me? And should his stay be brief, You'll have his lovely memories As solace for your grief. I cannot promise he will stay, Since all from earth return, But there are lessons taught down there I want this child to learn. I've looked the wide world over In my search for teachers true, And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes, I have selected you. Nor will you give him all your love, Nor think the labor vain, Nor hate Me when I come to call To take him back again" I fancied that I heard them say: "Dear Lord, Thy will be done, For all the joy Thy child shall bring, The risk of grief we'll run. We'll shelter him with tenderness, We'll love him while we may; And for the happiness we've known, Forever grateful stay. But should the angels call for him Much sooner than we'd planned, We'll brave the bitter grief that comes, And try to understand." Edgar A. Guest (April 21, 2008) |
At Tim Russert memorial on June 18 2008, Maria Shriver read this poem which reminded me of you: "I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea. The setting sun tinted its white sails with a golden light. And as it disappeared from view, a voice at my side whispered, He is gone. But the sea was a narrow one, and on the furthest shore, a little band of friends had gathered to watch in happy expectation. Suddenly, they caught sight of the tiny sail. And at the very moment when my companion had whispered, He is gone, a glad shout went up in joyous welcome with the words, yes, here he comes!" (June 18, 2008) |
Today marks the 2500th day since your departure from this world. We missed you every day of these difficult days. We prayed for the Lord to ease our pain and to give us the strength to accept the unacceptable. He has been benevolent to us. He has been our strength. We intend to keep Him our strength. We love you ... (July, 16 2008) |
Today we remember your birthday. How can we forget it? It was a Blessed day for your Mom and me. You would have been 41 years old. Mass will be celebrated in your memory. We will visit your niche in the Mortuary as we do every year. We will place seven roses in your vase and hold you in our minds and in our hearts. We love you. (August, 25 2008) |
Today marks the seventh Anniversary of that horrible day in September 2001. I noticed that your Mom and I have undergone a big change. We are blessed by the Lord. I have the following to tell you: The Lord has blessed us with the virtue of acceptance. Acceptance is not an easy virtue to acquire. Acceptance is difficult to explain. Acceptance is an attitude. Acceptance cannot be partial. Acceptance doesn’t simply happen overnight. Acceptance demands real effort from our part. Acceptance is not approval. There are many things we must accept that we certainly do not approve of. Acceptance does not imply endorsement of wrong behavior. Acceptance is taking things as they are without attempting to deny their full reality. Acceptance stops suffering. Acceptance can lead you to peace after pain, serenity after suffering. Acceptance calls for courage to surrender our lives to God and to trust in His wisdom. Acceptance demands patience when our life does not meet our expectations. Perhaps the greatest benefit of learning the art of acceptance is that it stops suffering. By Reinhold Niebuhr (1892 – 1971) I would like to quote here a prayer which was written by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr around the year 1943: courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him, Forever in the next. Amen." (September 11, 2008) |
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Today, September 28, is the "Blood Donation" day in your memory. It is the yearly event which your sister, May, organizes with UCLA officials. This year it will be in the "Kid's Club" hall in "Our Lady of Lourdes School". I hope the show up will be as great as usual. (September 28, 2008) |
On December 8, 2008 you had a new visitor. Uncle Jamil passed away. He will be missed by many. His death was a surprise to all those who knew him. He will be surely remembered for ever. They all love him very much. As you know Jamil was a good man. He never said "NO" to anyone who asked him for a favor. He was always there to all those who are in need. He has helped to raise money for schools, hospitals and churches. He was on many committees of Colleges and Universities. He was one of the active and effective persons. (December 8, 2008) |
This Christmas is a sombre one. We are in Beirut for two weeks. We will spend Christmas with your aunt Mona, keeping her company during the hard days of mourning your uncle's death and celebrating his new eternal life. There is one Iskandar more in Heaven. The number of names in my prayer list is growing bigger. We wish you all in Heaven the Blessings of the birth of Jesus Christ and say:  "Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." (John 17:3 NIV) (December 25, 2008). |
Another year have passed away. It was not a good year. 2008 was a bad year for the economy of the world, a bad year for my health and a bad year for the family. We lost your uncle, Jamil. I pray that the new year 2009 will be a better one for all. I hope it will bring peace and better economy to the world. (January 01, 2009). |
This is the eighth Easter that we celebrate without you. We have come a long way since you have left us. We now celebrate and rejoice as we used to do when you were with us. I would like to quote the poem that Peter Enns wrote: Who will help us understand, When things don't go as we had planned? When one we love is snatched away, and no one knows, just what to say. God Will! Who understands when we have been bruised? when we are crushed, and feel confused? when things that happen don't seem fair, because we know that He is there. God Does! Who can heal a broken heart? And mend what death has torn apart? What circumstances would destroy, Who can turn it into joy? God Can! Copyright Peter Enns (April 12, 2009). |
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