Roberto

A few days ago now my Brother in law Roberto Y Lim passed away. I have not placed details up here about that previously, though recognise it would be remiss of me not to mention how kind and generous this man of 52 years was. His sense of humour and kindness will forever be a hallmark of this mans enduring memory.

He worked on a few floating Casinos in the USA, and had a lifetime of working in Casinos and was a trusted and respected member of all the staff he worked in.

He passed quietly away whilst many of his brothers and sisters were literally in the air returning from Australia, the US, The United Arab Emirates and beyond. A call had gone out where the family chose to return home at this time, and whilst they were not there to physically say good bye they had done so on the phone. It has been a timely reminder to me not to take anything for granted. Life is too short, and for some shorter than it needs to be.

In Philippine custom it is the practice that after some one dear passes, after a period of embalming, the body returns to the home, where for a period of time friends, family and neighbours gather to pay their respects. It is also a time where the grieving family put on food for all who come, and so people who are poor, people who are just curious, come to the home and get their free meal. It is an interesting custom.

I wont put any pictures here of that, but it is so interesting looking at life and death through the eyes of different customs.