After the wedding, they settled down in Indonesia. They had no children, so they adopted a baby girl, whom they called: "Budhita". Kismadi spent most of his productive life working with the environment, as an official of the Indonesian government. He was perfectly at peace in this job, because he loved the beauty, the magnificence, the glory of Gods creation.
Gloria wrote of him:
"He spent a lot of time in his garden. There were days when he would come in from the garden very happy. . . . . one of the orchids was just about to bloom; a plant he thought was dying, and tried to save, was starting to show new shoots; or he was just happy because he had touched the new leaves of all the plants."
"Kis often said that he had only three purposes in life: to love God, to love his fellow man, and to love the environment. How blessed he was that he was able to live his life doing just that."
"Perhaps it started with his love for people and then the environment and being with people, working for the environment made him see and value Creation so that, in the end, it was God he sought. . . . . and found. As he expressed in his poem, written only a month before he passed away: . . . . I defied You, and I challenged You to do battle with me in a field of my choosing. . . . Earth. . . . Which is my territory. You took up my dare and now, My Lord, allow me to come to You."
Kismadi expressed his thoughts, sometimes, in writing. For instance:
Thou. . . . .
Thou art. . . . . . . and we are,
And time stands still.
On Aging
Aging graciously
requires a greater willingness
to admit ones mistakes
without blaming them on age
or on anything else
and foregoing pity.
No excuses, no search
for self-deluding solace.
No self-pity but also no paranoia.
A cheer for those who are young,
Those innocents abroad still eager to learn,
and who believe that fame is theirs to earn.
They are bold and free of any inhibition,
Playing it by ear, guided by intuition,
Making the most of any opportunity,
For theirs is the kingdom of serendipity,
And exploration, for ever and ever, Amen.
If you will hold the rudder
I will gladly row the boat.
If you will draw the water from the well
I will gladly water all the barren fields.
If you will wait at each journeys end
I will gladly live a thousand lives.
I should say no more
Lest in bargaining with you
I should lose you, and lose myself.
Time stands still
When people tell of love
And therefore,
Tell of love now.
You Cannot Ever
Leave Me Now
You cannot ever leave me now
nor I, you. . . .
now that you and I have become we
and the we in us has created memories
too precious to be tossed away and forgotten.
. . . . . walking home barefoot in a storm
or painting morning glories on rice paper,
stopping to buy three yellow chrysanthemums
to put in a green celadon vase sitting lonely
on the ledge of a window
looking out on the bay.
Memories are woven out of dreams,
promises kept and cherished,
some forgotten, others forgiven.
Like us, they grow with time,
they fill the we that is our life
even as we add more.
No, you cannot ever leave me now
nor I, you.
"A lifetime of memories. . . . that is one of the most beautiful gifts that Bapak has left me. Of a hot summer day in Beirut as a toddler of three years old, walking happily with a popsicle in one hand, and Bapaks finger in the other. Of another summer evening in Madison, Wisconsin as a little girl of five years old riding high on his shoulders while clutching onto his curly hair. . . . feeling that I was on top of the world! Of waking up after having had my tonsils removed at the age of 12, and feeling his hand in mine. . . . believing that just holding his hand would make the pain go away. Of being comforted by an email giving me courage as a young woman, when my heart was broken by someone I thought I would love forever. Believe in your inner strength, he said, for it will never fail you."
"Bapak never ceased to wonder, and taught me to see things differently. Once, the wind blew a dry leaf into the house, and Bapak said, Aha! A letter from God. . . . and gently picked up the leaf and put it back in the garden."
"The next time you see a leaf fall within your path, gently pick it up and take a good look. . . who knows, it just might be a poem from Bapak just for you."
This family demonstrates, with crystal clarity, that Christians and Muslims can live together, learn from each other, love each other, and be deeply grateful to God that He gave them as gifts to each other. Like Kismadis orchid, blossoming in his garden, they are a beautiful sign of hope for the Philippines, for Indonesia, for Asia, and for the world.