Eulogy for a Great Mentor

Last Friday was the last day of school for 2008, and the students were really excited about the coming Christmas break. It is a two-week rest from the grueling homework and activities in school, and many can't wait but be a couch potato for the whole holiday.

While the rest of us were having a pretty good time celebrating Christmas with our students, our English coordinator, Teacher Lily Brigoli died of heart failure in the hospital last December 19, 2008. She died at the age of 64. The news came as a shock to us because we thought she was on her way to recovery. She called the school two days earlier to report that she was coming home from the Philippine Heart Center on Friday. We actually planned to visit her and see how she was doing, but when Friday came, little did we know that her lifeless body was the only one coming home. We stopped momentarily in our merriment and feasting to grieve over who we have lost. Teacher Lily was not just our English Coordinator. She was also our mother, our friend, our mentor. All of us in the English department shed tears in memory of her goodness. And all of us can't help but feel saddened by the tragedy that has befallen upon us. I could only bow my head and close my eyes and remember how she has been good to us. She has always been there to give us great advice about teaching and other practical things. She has always been mild-mannered, soft-spoken and understanding. I have never felt antagonized by her authority, instead, I feel grateful for having such a kind mentor. Truly, Teacher Lily will be missed by us to those whose lives she has touched. With her death, I am suddenly reminded about how this kind of tragedy can happen to us at any time. I became suddenly aware of how fleeting life can be and how we should always be prepared when Death comes to us. A day before Teacher Lily died, she joked about her death and she said that she was ready to face her Creator. She added that Death can come to her at any time because she was ready. I guess this was some sort of uncanny premonition. A day after, she suddenly had a stroke and a few weeks after, she said goodbye to us. This reminds us that we should be careful about what we utter out loud, because not only the Lord Jesus hears our prayer, but other principalities as well. There is a saying: "Be careful what you wish for." Can one really know when he or she is about to die? Can we somehow sense Death's coming and subconsciously send out signals that the time is about to come? I think Teacher Lily might have sensed it coming and she made sure that we won't grieve too much about her death. Days before she died, death has been a topic of our casual conversation. She said that when she dies, she doesn't want to see anybody crying. She wants us to celebrate her life and not mourn her death. Teacher Lily passed away during the time of merriment. Oh, the irony of such event! We can't help but be sad about her passing away, but we also wanted to follow her request. So even with the unfortunate circumstance of her leaving us, we knew that she would have wanted us to enjoy the festivities. Even if it felt weird to enjoy the party, knowing that someone close to us died, we continued on. That night, when we had our faculty Christmas party, we dedicated the moment to her. By enjoying the party, we were granting her her last request. We didn't prepare elaborate eulogies. But deep in our hearts, she was truly missed.

To Teacher Lily, may you be happy wherever you are.