IT is assumed that children ought to be grateful for all the love and care that parents give them. Over the years from babyhood to adulthood, the assumptions are parents are givers.
There are families where children are givers and parents are forever indebted not by the material things given but by those meaningful actions of love shown.
The story of Anniz Fazli Ibrahim Bajunid is the story of confident humility of a family with blessings because of the kindness of heart of Anniz that those who meet him come to experience.
In intentions, articulations and actions, he has given so much joy to family members, friends and students because of his care.
Anniz brought joy to his parents in so many different ways with those little daily routines to make their lives better.
HE is the family photographer, caretaker-keeper of the family heirloom, painstakingly indexing and cataloguing hundreds of thousands of valuable ancestry photographs;
MAKING sure every day the parents have food throughout the day;
HE does not allow his parents to climb ladders, fix lightbulbs, fix leakage or faucets, or lift domestic gas;
·HE systematically keeps all accounts up to date and teaches parents to work on-line to ensure there is precious time to enjoy the arts and other little meaningful joys a civilised society can offer;
HE ensures that grandparents are respected and have their daily toilet needs for health-cosmetic maintenance;
HE has not hurt parents in any way, has been gracious in relationships, consciously cherishing quality time;
HE brings joy to parents by happily going to prayers together over the years;
HE organises family communication meticulously and ensures none is left out of the loop regarding things which matter;
HE is systematic and intensely passionate about his work and insists on work of the highest excellence;
HE treasures the simple joys of comradeship with friends, especialy his futsal team;
HE is loyal to friends, commits to be with them for social obligations of sickness, loss and togetherness during times of sadness;
WITH the limitations of the salary of a teacher, he bought little things for family members and had been generous to those less fortunate in the relative, friendship or workplace circles;
MINDFULNESS is the mark of Anniz’s filial relationships, keeping disciplines of grace, smartness, neatness, making conscious daily sacrifices in fortitude; and,
HE champions intergenerational family living and culture, and nurtures beauty, simplicity, goodness and confident humility.
Anniz is caring in the home, in the world of work and in wanting community commitment for safety, for sustaining the environment. As a member of the teaching profession, like the other professions of virtue, in education he seeks and shares the pursuit of goodness and wisdom with patience.
The goodness of the soul’s journey transcends the evils and injustices experienced in the temporary world, with hopes for better eternal world. With hard work, rare and strong competencies, Anniz is set and prepared to contribute to teaching, supervising, research and public service as done by his grandparents, uncles and father.
The future seemed promising. Then suddenly he had high fever with an aggressive and virulent rare virus. And Anniz is no more, a year after he lost his mother. There were hundreds of messages expressing shock and sadness. The posting by Faculty summarises the regard students and colleagues have for him.
“Anniz Fazli Ibrahim Bajunid, Secretary AMER/ABRA, passed away peacefully on Friday 10 July 2015 @06.15. A noble dedicated, diligent, committed, selfless, accommodating, high perseverance and of most humble personality. Sadly missed by members, colleagues and students.”
Neighbours emphasise the caring neighbourliness he has nurtured in the community… “People say that good people die young is a sign that God loves them very much. I believe that Anniz belongs in that category and my prayers go to him…”
There is an ancient Chinese saying: “When the white-haired one buries the black-haired one, it is the saddest moment of one’s life.” The reality of death when the father has to bury the son half his age raises all kinds of questions and emotions. The end of life is not the end of existence.
Well-wishers from all over reaffirm that the holy month of Ramadan is when angels descend to Earth and contribute to bring goodness, helping people along their spiritual journeys from the temporal to the eternal realm. Blessed are families when children seek happiness for their parents and the blessings of the Almighty.
As Anniz is full of love, the parent is so grateful and hopes to be worthy of the good son. And the parent must ask for forgiveness for insensitivities. How do you repay the mindfulness and kindness of a dear departed beloved soul?
“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth — and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up — that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. ” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
The writer is president of the Malaysian Association for Education