An Unexpected Goodbye

My grandmother had 10 children. The first of 10 was my dad Rudolph, and the 6th of the 10 was my uncle Michael. Uncle Michael was only a young boy when I was born, and I only have vague memories of him.
For the majority of his life my uncle has battled with addictions and a life of crime as a result of his drug habits. Even with the demons that he tried to shake, my mother remembers him as always smiling, always cheerful.
Today I was told that after years of being on and off drugs, in and out of jail, numerous attempts at turning his life around, in Trinidad today, my uncle Michael is dead. No one is certain exactly what happened but it is believed that he fell off of a building to his death.

My dad, and 4 of my aunts who live in Arizona, (There are also siblings who still reside in Trinidad) had to break the news to my grandmother today, that the child that she worried about all these years is no longer alive. I was told that she did not take it very well. Out living one's children is arguably the greatest fear that any parent lives with. I pray that she is able to draw on the great strength that is within her to cope with this news. I heard the pain in my aunt's voice when she called me and I thought of how I would feel to lose my own brother and being thousands of miles away.

When I think of my siblings and the bond that we have, I know that my father and my aunts and uncles must be hurting right now. No matter what disagreements one may have, there is always that love. I pray that my uncle's soul is in the right place today- in a place of rest where no temptations of the flesh can torment him, where only peace resides. I hope that he knows how much he was loved and I wish that I was able to get to know him better.

Goodbye Uncle Michael