Papa Old (my paternal grandfather) passed away last Friday, November 27, 2009 (which was, incidentally, also my parents’ 27th Wedding Anniversary). I came to know of it just minutes after he breathed his last, when my Tita Vensie called me that morning through my cellphone. Not surprisingly, with the aid of technology, our whole family was informed of Papa Old’s death that same morning. There was no need for obituaries or telegrams.
That same day, I started receiving calls, text messages and emails from friends and well-wishers, extending their condolences and prayers. If not for Facebook, where I posted on my status, the fact of Papa Old’s death, our other relatives overseas would not have known. In Cagayan, my home province, it is a belief (pamahiin) and old custom that the bereaved family should not take a bath at the house where the wake was held. If not for Facebook and Yahoo Messenger, my Tita Cristy, whose whole family resides in Canada, would not have called and offered her house – five meters away from our ancestral house (where the wake was held) – where we could take a bath, and even rest. If not for Yahoo Groups and text messages, I would not have been able to do or delegate my OLA tasks and Law and Environment assignment while I was in Cagayan (Thanks Mai, Monch and Evs).
Yesterday, December 2, 2009, we laid Papa Old to his final resting place. In one of the most difficult times in my life, from Papa Old’s wake until his funeral, I saw the Internet and technology as effective communication tools. Just a while back, I saw in the Internet (Online-Funeral.com) that a growing trend nowadays is online funeral service. This set-up enables members who cannot attend the funeral service or visitation to visit the website and obtain a feeling comfort by viewing either through stored video or through live streaming of the funeral. This set-up also enables family members, including friends and relatives, to send condolence messages or memorial tributes through the website. Really, the Internet and technology’s potential as an effective communication tool is boundless.
Rean Balisi
3rd Entry
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2 comments:
condolences rean.
on a lighter note, may kilala ako na nabalitaan niya lang na may pamangkin na siya kasi pinost ng mom niya sa facebook na may apo na siya. nagtampo siya kasi nauna pa daw na ang facebook ang nakaalam na may pamangkin na siya kaysa sa kanya.
again, condolences rean.
condolence, rean. i dont open my facebook so much recently so i didnt know.
may Christmas shine bright to you and your family despite your Papa Old's passing.
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