Legacy of love

Dick Chua was a great football player; he scored 21 goals in one game. He was a superb singer, known all over the Philippines for his masterful rendition of Ol’Man River. He was a star on stage. But when he went home to God, the most beautiful thing that he left behind was a legacy of love.

His grandson, only seven years old, wrote:

In Memory of Lolo, You will always be in my Heart.

"You were my Lolo. I loved you for so many reasons. Before you were sick, you always picked me up from school. When we got into your house, we passed the soccer ball in your front yard. You showed me the right way to kick the ball so my passes and shots would be strong.

"You were my favorite soccer player of all time — you were a National Hero a long time ago in the Philippines, but you will always be my hero.

"One thing I will never forget about you is when I saw you, you always smiled at me, and raised your eyebrows in your special hello, in your special way, that only you and I understood.

"Even when you got sick, you still said your special hello to me.

"I wonder if you are now playing soccer in heaven. I am happy for you that now you are with your mom and dad, and all of your friends, who have passed away.

"If I will see you again, I wish we could pass the soccer ball for the whole day.

"I love you, Lolo. And I miss you more than I can say."

His granddaughter wrote:

"He was always patient. Always kind. Always generous. I will always remember being picked up from school every day by Lolo. McDonald’s French fries beside him in the car. Classical music being played on the radio. He always had a story to tell at the dinner table. And jokes to make us laugh.

"He laughed at everything. And he was always there for everyone. I don’t remember him once being upset. We only hope to follow his example.

"I thank God for the chance to be around him for so many years, and also for giving us the time to say goodbye. Lolo, you will never be forgotten. Classical music will always make me crave for McDonald’s French fries.

"Your death was not easy for us to accept. I did not expect it to be this hard. But what matters most is that you loved us, and we love you. And we will love each other, forever."

His son wrote:

"As an athlete, papa was the best there was. Everything came almost naturally to him. He told stories of when they won, and even when they lost. He would often get into fights, sometimes he started them —he and his buddies. Not so much being proud of those days, but more of simply showing how he approached life in general, full of zeal, vibrant, animated, unrelenting. No excuses. No complaints. Papa made do with what life dealt him. Only God and mama knew what lay deep in Papa’s mind and heart. It was always about dreams and aspirations. It was always about fighting and never giving up. It was always about heart.

"He made people feel loved and important. All our childhood friends and relatives remember Papa and his warm, loving hug. It’s the little things that count. And Papa had a knack of knowing what people needed, and when. To his youngest grandchild to date, Marco, that hug could only be a simple touching of fingers. And Marco time and time again, with no fear or hesitation, would willingly reach out for Papa’s finger and wrap his entire little hand around it. They both gave each other the love and warmth in that simple touch of fingers.

"But Papa never turned his back from the heroic duties as well. I remember him risking his own life when he jumped from a ten foot wall, dove straight into the water, swooped down and swam a drowning young boy to safety. Papa never stopped to think. He just did it.

"Papa was prayerful. I remember him walking to church with Mama. I am not certain what went through his mind and heart as he walked to Mass every day. Mama said he longed for the daily Masses and communions — he called it: ‘His investments for Heaven’. For as long as his body allowed it, he walked to Mass. He had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When he sang the "Lord’s Prayer", he would sing it with heart, and with emotion. People always said it made them want to pray more.

"He was always happy to see his children. He’d pick us up, wherever we were, after school, sometimes late. He never complained. He was just happy to see his children. One of Papa’s most precious gifts to us was music and singing – God’s gift to him. And Papa wanted to make sure he passed it on. Papa loved singing. He taught us how to sing and harmonize. He taught us to sing, not just to be heard, but to sing with heart. Now, every time we sing, we sing with heart.

"Papa wrote of his Dad: ‘My father, a doctor, lived a life dedicated to helping people, of curing the sick, and most of them could not pay. And he never asked for payment. And so he died with no riches, no fame, and no fortune’.

Papa continued. ‘What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his immortal soul?’ Like a good son, Papa heeded his own father’s advice.

"Papa had his share of pain and disappointments. Frustrations and sufferings. But I never heard him complain. My eldest brother Chad had Wilson’s disease. This was their first born, who wanted to be just like his father in every way. Papa suffered with Chad each day. Then came his own battle with Parkinson’s. Papa’s most formidable opponent. For an athlete, this is the worst disease. His body was giving up on him. But again, Papa showed us how to play the game. He was the unyielding warrior. He found the strength to do what he did best — smile! The suffering and pain brought us all closer to each other, and closer to God.

"About 20 years ago, Papa had a heart attack. Clinically dead for ten minutes. He saw his mother, young and radiant, calling him into the bright light. But he begged, saying: ‘Mama, I’m not ready!’ He came back. Last year, he almost left us, again. But we begged him not to go. We weren’t ready. Last week, God said it was time. Papa had run the good race. He had scored the winning goal.

"Mama was Papa’s most precious dream. Papa loved everything and anything about Mama. They were romantic and inseparable. ‘He brought so much love and music into my life’ was how she would sum him up. Mama told us that Papa first saw her and met her when she was 14 years old. Papa was 18. They were soul mates – the epitome of marriage how God envisioned it to be. ‘Christ loving his Church’. Unconditional, forgiving, totally committed, unselfish. From the day they were married, up until the last breath, Mama was by his side.

" ‘It’s okay to go already, Hon, she would say in his last hours. ‘I’ll be alright’. Papa always figured that with Mama, they could accomplish anything, fulfill their dreams. It was their dreams that kept him going, the reason why he refused to go. It is what makes life challenging, beautiful. When his time drew closer, he asked Mama, ‘What about our dreams? I won’t be able to dream anymore?’ And Mama replied, with her arms around him: ‘Don’t worry about our dreams, Hon. They were reached.’

"They lived their dreams."