This is the hardest piece of writing, more difficult compared to the numerous technical papers I've churned out for the last decade. Words just became words, now useless to give justice to even an inch of the pain and devastation that infested me. Indeed, it will never be enough to describe our family's sorrow with the passing of a beloved brother, uncle, granduncle, champion, leader, friend, and faithful priest. Given his magnanimous person, I am posting my humble eulogy, a sincere attempt to honor Rev. Father Floyd Cadatal Codog even though words will never be enough and this is all I have to offer.
An Extraordinary Life
I am borrowing a line from my cousin Karla, the one she posted as her Facebook status five days ago, it said, “Tito-Father, how do I live a life without you?” Yes, I stand here asking the same question. I am pretty sure almost all of us here echo the same question. Tito-Father Floyd left without any warning, he left in haste. His sudden passing broke my heart terribly.
I pause and now realized
that he still taught me a valuable lesson even in his moment of early
departure. Tito-Father Floyd may have not live long but the quality of the life
he lived cannot be diminished. It is now proven that he has touched the lives of
countless people with his own brand of honesty, care and
leadership. They came in droves; kin, friends, acquaintances, even
strangers, to pay their last respect to a man who positively affected them in
many ways. This is how Tito-Father Floyd’s charisma and sincerity work
wonders.
As his “panganay na
pamangkin”, I enjoyed his foremost attention. Growing up miles away from
him, did not put a stop to the birthday cards, letters, books and
presents. Until I went away for college, Tito-Father remained my guiding
light, he was my steadfast supporter. He never got in the way
and with his earnest approach in life, he taught me to have a
strong and a kind heart. All he wanted was for me to succeed, for
all of us (my dear cousins) to find success in our lives. As a matter of
fact, he was the one who told me to recognize and take good care of my talent
because it was God given. He inspired me and believed that I have a
special way with words. And I believe him, years later, today, I use this
gift to much of my advantage, I use writing to connect with people, to
commune with the world, and most importantly, I use it to make a living.
Tito-Father Floyd is the
tough thread that tightly binds the family. He made sure our families
stays closer every year, to stick for each other, come what may. He
taught us to take family pride seriously and lovingly at the same time.He was
the champion of his brothers and sisters, friends, community, parish; for he
was always available when you needed him. Most of the time, “inuuna pa
niya ang iba, bago ang saril inya.” Even when he was sick, he made sure
my mother and father were taken care of.
With all that has been
said, we did not only lose a good priest. We lost an inspirational
uncle to nieces and nephews, an awesome grandfather (granduncle) to 15
grandkids, a compassionate brother to his brothers and sisters and community, a
kind-hearted father to Jeric, Buboy, Kevin and Dong, an emphatic leader to his
parish, and a great friend to many.
Going back to my question a
while ago, “Tito-Father, how do I live a life without you?” My answer is,
I will live it like the way you did Tito-Father Floyd; you lived an
extraordinary life and so will I. This is how I choose to honor
you. Life is short so I will untiringly pursue the thing that makes
me feel alive and fight for what I believe in. Like you, I will be
dauntless. I will be courageous. And I will be compassionate. We
must all strive to do extraordinary work, wherever we are right now, and seek
for extraordinary love in everything we do. This is how life should
matter. This is the legacy that Tito-Father wants to leave behind.
My dear Tito-Father Floyd,
you have done enough to inspire me and you gave us memories enough to last
us a lifetime. You will always be my hero. Thank you for everything you did for
me and my family. I know you are happy with Nanay and Tatay up there in
heaven, now that you've earned your heavenly wings, becoming our guardian
angel suits you well.
I love you and I will
never forget you.
I will only say, until we
meet again.
*Necrological
Service hosted by the Knights of Columbus, St. Michael Cathedral, Ilagan,
Isabela, 21 June 2015
