Sunday, October 25, 2020
On Monday, November 30, 2015, at 8:00 PM, we lost a great man, the one who’s been responsible for us of his generation being here today. We lost a great friend and a wise adviser, the best father we could ever have. For others, a magnificent brother, uncle, godfather, etc., and for the younger descendant generation, a grandfather a great-grandfather and even a great-great-grandfather.
Although we could say with some satisfaction and with pride that he lived a long life of almost ninety years of age, also from the bottom of our hearts, we will say that we will miss him very much, especially us, his children, who grew up with him and who also got the best of him. His advices and guidance’s, his charisma and his tolerances, his joy and his rebukes, and above all, the love with which he raised us, the rigor of his character, and the respect that always inspired us, about life in general. We will remember him and keep him in our hearts until the day we meet him again in heaven, where God has him with him.
I will never forget the day of his death, when surrounded by eight of his sixteen children among many othr relatives and friends.
But of all the people that were present, the most important was his wife Miriam our dear mother, who lived with him most of her life, and who also will be the main part of his story. She, who for sixty-four years celebrated his triumphs, weep his failures and tolerated his infidelities, who loved him until his last day, and was with him to take care of him in his last moments. She, who that day lovingly embraced him and said to him for the last time, just before his death;
"Pappi, you asked me to forgive you and I told you that everything was forgotten; It is precisely as we were told that happy day when we got married, "until death do us part", and today seems to be that day, I loved you and I always will love you, we will meet in God presence one day, I promise you."
It was then that with tears in her eyes, she kissed him for the last time and it was precisely then, when we all realized that his heart had stopped and he took his last breath, as if that had been the medicine he was hoping to take to get the freedom of the pain and suffering he was enduring at that moment.
For the most part no one prepares for death, although we know deep inside that it is inevitable, we live and enjoy our days, we make plans and do everything we can to make the best of our lives, we work hard to achieve comfort, and to be able to provide for those whom we are responsible for, and all of this we do without worrying about our final days.
My father was no exception, and he always told us that we needed to adopt his way of doing things, and educate our children to do the same, so that we could leave a legacy that would be admired by our descendants in the years to come. He didn't accomplish much about material things, but like my son said in his speech on the day of his wake; "We are everything he left behind"
But let us no longer talk about his death, let’s instead remember his life and learn who Don Pedro Maradiaga really was, from the beginning of his journeys in this world, to the last sigh of his long and adventurous life.
May God keep you in his Glory Papi, and now since you are toguether with Mami, the love of you life who died earlier this year (2020) you must be as hapy as can be, take care of her your children remember both of you all of the time.
WIth Love From Pedrito
