Five For Fighting - 100 Years (V. Ondrasik) ~ Erwin Lazaro 183

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My father-in-law Elmer T. Gipaya passed into our Lord God’s kingdom in Heaven on July 6, 2015 at approximately 12:25 a.m.  He battled prostate cancer for ten years before succumbing to the disease. My father-in-law endured so much up to the very end.  It was heartbreaking.  But, the end of his physical existence is the beginning of my father-in-law’s peace that he longed to have. He came to terms with his battle and his loved ones had the opportunity to say farewell while learning to come to terms with his fate.  We had our private time to say farewell.  It is small consolation, but it is all we have.  We have to learn to love him from within our hearts.  We have precious memories to recall his presence.

 

Every moment is valuable.  Every moment that passes is a moment we can only remember.  Each moment is unique.  It is common to reflect upon the value of our lives and the affect we each have upon the people and the environment around us.  Moments we can cherish or moments we regret.  It is easy to get angry at horrendous monstrosities like cancer and feel defeated, without hope.  Life is often not fair, but the human spirit has a choice, the choice to drown in despair or the choice to aspire for a hope beyond our existence.

 

Elmer T. Gipaya never gave up hope because he looked forward to peace beyond this life.  He aspired for something greater than this existence.  I know, and the rest of his family knows. Elmer T.  Gipaya’s spirit is where he longed to be.  Rest in peace …

 

Music intertwined his daily activities with the family and friends that he treasured.  I will dedicate a video and a song that was treasured by my father-in-law in the near future.  But, at this time, I chose to cover a song of reflection in appreciation of the life we all have.  “100 Years”, a contemplative song, summing up the value of life in a few moments.

 

From Wikipedia:

Vladimir John Ondrasik III, known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his piano-based rock, such as the Top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not Easy)" (2001), "100 Years" (2003) and "The Riddle" (2006). His third album, The Battle for Everything, debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200 in February 2004. It included the single "100 Years", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and stayed at #1 for 12 nonconsecutive weeks. "100 Years" also reached #6 on AAA song charts.